Inheritage: A Time Since Gone By
by Everybeast
Summary: Ranma has always been fast, but that isn't totally because of the training.  After yet another long hiatus. I am back with flaming decals! R.5/GD X P.S. This is not a self insert story. There will be more Xovers in the Future.
1. Inheritage Note

Inheritage

IMPORTANT NOTE

For those who have read my previous story be the same name, I wish to inform you that this is a complete rewrite. Although I do like my old story, I wrote myself into a massive dead end and the only ideas I could think of wouldn't work anymore. So, in this story, I'm starting over at the beginning. The first chapter is almost identical to the first chapter of the previous version. It then branches off completely at chapter 2. The characters for the most part remain the same. Rhys is still Rhys and his backstory is still the same. Ryoga is still who he is. The biggest change is how the Amazons fit into the story. Also, Ukyo is drastically different but I wouldn't really expect anyone to notice because I didn't get that far in the original version. Doctor Tofu and Gosonkugi also make appearances and are key roles in the story.

This story is a lot darker and Rhys is a little bit more mellow. He still has his dark side however, which comes out in full force.

Without further or due, let us continue…


	2. Ch1  The Beginning

INHERITAGE

**An "asitgoes" fiction by: Kyros Lencho**

* * *

A Ranma otherverse fic. Contains a main crossover with Gold Diggers, with a few others later on into the story. Story progresses as I come up with new ideas, there is no predetermined course. 

* * *

**Long Ago**

Carnage…

All around him… carnage.

Fires were licking the buildings all around him, greedily devouring the homes and the dead now within.

A putrid smell reeked in the air. The pungent smell of one's own species being burned. The smoke and ash caused his eyes to burn and his lungs to cry out. He choked in the air, forcing himself not to cough.

They would hear it. And they would find him.

His youthful sky blue eyes zipped around, taking in everything he could see from his hiding place. Tears were in his eyes.

He had just recently seen his mother being slaughtered by… that monster. That evil man. His father no doubt dead as well. The entire village.

He feared for his little sister. He had gotten separated from her. His mother had died with her in her arms and he dared not look for her.

A man walked into his view. He pushed himself into the earth in a futile attempt to make him invisible.

But this man was not the monster. He smelt of kindness and wisdom. He glanced around, taking in the sight of the burning buildings.

He saw the man sigh, and continue walking quickly.

* * *

**One Year Later**

"I'm truly sorry, sir!" A young boy said nervously.

Currently, the boy, Takkun, worked as a student doctor in a hospital in Japan. He was also currently being lifted off the ground by a heavy set man.

"It isn't true!" The large man said, "How can this be true?"

"I'm… I'm just a student sir," Takkun said, shaking, "I was only told to tell you this."

The man dropped Takkun to the floor. The man walked a short distance to sit on one of those small couches that are usually set up in the hospitals, his head resting on the back, his eyes closed. Takkun saw the doctor approach the man, so he hurriedly left the hallway to cower in a patient's room.

Needless to say, the patient in said room was highly confused.

"Mr. Saotome?" The doctor said.

The heavy set man cracked an eye open at the doctor. He leaned forward and glared at the man.

"What went wrong?" he said.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Saotome," the doctor sighed, "There was nothing I could do. You're wife is fine… but I'm afraid the miscarriage has had many unfortunate side effects."

"What?" The heavy man asked, glaring.

"You're son was still born, Mr. Saotome," the doctor said, "The poor boy had a serious birth defect, and if he HAD survived through birth, chances were slim that he would survive through to tomorrow."

The heavy set man glared still.

"Also…" The doctor sighed, "You're wife had some… unforeseen complications. I'm afraid that it will be impossible to have another child. The miscarriage caused severe damage to her uterus."

The man just growled and glared at the doctor. The doctor bowed to him, and left the room.

"DAMN IT!" Mr. Saotome yelled.

* * *

**Two Years Later**

The Saotome's looked out at the children playing in the backyard. Mrs. Saotome still showed distress because of the loss of her child. Mr. Saotome looked oddly calm and actually quite serene.

Mrs. Saotome's eyes were drawn to many of the small girls around the yard, and almost all of the young boys. They were all from at least 3 to 6 years old. She couldn't help but watch them and smile and weary smile.

Mr. Saotome's eyes were only focused on one place. A small group of boys that were gathered out to the edge of the back yard; near a giant old oak tree. They were surrounding and yelling at two of their playmates.

Mainly because the two boys were fighting.

One was a tall boy, probably 6 years old. His thin oily black hair covered up most of his face. He had beady little eyes, and looked quite effeminate.

_Ya know, that would look really damn freaky if you think about it._

_Let's not._

The other boy was probably only 4 years old, and was quite a bit smaller than the other boy. This boy had brilliant sky blue eyes. His hair was a dirty blonde that had smudges of what seemed to be dirt in it. His blue eyes and blonde hair made him quite a standout from the rest of the kids. He was clearly not Japanese in heritage.

Mr. Saotome was watching the smaller boy with interest. The boy, although small, seemed to be very strong, and quite fast. The boy clearly was faster and stronger than the older boy, but Mr. Saotome saw that the blonde boy was allowing the other boy to win the fight.

Or so it seemed.

The small boy took a blow to the stomach. He crouched to the ground. The boys surrounding him started to laugh.

The small boy suddenly yelled a yell of anger that sounded more like a feral cat roaring than a boy shouting. The tall boy suddenly found himself on the ground nearby, clutching his wrist and crying. The way his wrist turned made it obvious that the small boy had broken it.

The small boy stood over the larger one, his shoulders sagging and he was breathing hard, more from anger than from pain.

"Oh, great," A young woman said, "He's broken someone again."

The Saotome's looked at the woman. Mrs. Saotome glanced at the fight.

"This happen often?" Mr. Saotome asked.

"Yes," The woman sighed, "Blondie over there is a scary kid, pretty depressed too. He gets heckled by the other boys and when he's this angry, one or two people always get at least one of their bones broken. You'd think they would learn not to mess with him after something like that. Boys will be boys, I guess."

"What's his name?" Mr. Saotome asked.

"He calls himself…"

* * *

**Fourteen Years Later**

"Hmm…" Nabiki said.

"Ugh," The small blonde girl in front of her said as she regained consciousness.

"I'm sorry about this," Kasumi said, "Akane's really a very nice girl, although she's a bit of a psychotic maniac."

"Wow," Nabiki said, "Way to contradict yourself, sister."

Kasumi glanced at Nabiki, before she turned back to the girl.

"I'm also sorry about the misunderstanding," Kasumi smiled warmly, "We had been told that Mr. Saotome had a son."

"Does this look like a son to you, Kasumi?" Nabiki said, while poking the girls breasts.

"Stop that," The girl blushed.

"Nabiki!" Akane yelled, coming into the room, "Stop that, she's our guest!"

Nabiki glanced at Akane, before stopping. Little sister could be scary when she's angry.

"Hi," Akane said, pulling the small girl to her feet, "My name's Akane. Wanna be friends?"

"Um…" The girl said meekly, staring at Akane.

"Come on!" Akane zipped out of the room with the blonde girl in toe.

"You study Kempo, right?" Akane asked, smiling.

"Yeah," The girl said, "And a few other things."

"Wanna spar?" Akane asked.

"Up-um… well…" The girl backed up.

"Come on, Ranma," Akane said, "I'll go easy on you."

"Okay…" Ranma sighed.

Akane watched as Ranma just stood there, not going into any recognizable stance. Akane smirked and rushed her.

She blinked as Ranma disappeared from her view. She caught Ranma standing just to her left out of the corner of her eye, and she lashed out at her again. Ranma again dodged.

For the next few attacks, Ranma continued to dodge while keeping her hands in her pants pockets.

"Stop dodging and attack me!" Akane yelled, annoyed.

Ranma didn't visibly respond, so Akane attacked again. She did so until Ranma was backed against the wall. Akane attacked one last time, certain that Ranma couldn't dodge.

She was wrong. Her fist crunched through the wooden walls of the dojo. She felt a small tap on her shoulder. She looked back to see Ranma standing there, chuckling nervously.

* * *

**A Small While Later**

"PERVERT!" Akane was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, "HEAVY! SMASH! PERVERT! KILL!"

"Why this is amusing," Nabiki said, "What's up, Akane?"

"SMASH!" Akane yelled, "KILL! MAIM! CASTRATE! DESTROY! KILL!"

(translation: There is a strange young fellow in the laboratory who saw my person while in a highly unclothed status.)

"In the bathroom?" Nabiki said, she was fluent in Akane-ish. Nabiki turned towards the stairs to see a blonde boy that had spots in his hair walking at the bottom.

"Hello," He said, "I'm… Ranma, sorry about this."

* * *

**Even a Smaller While Later**

"May I ask one question," Nabiki said, "I haven't seen you're wife, Mr. Saotome, but Ranma doesn't look at all Japanese."

"Well," Genma said, "It's a long story, and…"

"I was adopted, okay," Ranma growled at the girl, looking extremely put off, "and I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about it."

Nabiki glared at him. No one threatened her, and that was obviously a threat.

"Ranma was adopted into our family when he was four," Genma said, "My own son… was still born."

"Oh my," Kasumi gasped. No one noticed that Ranma's mood darkened.

"I'd APPRECIATE it if you wouldn't talk about it in front of me," Ranma growled at everyone. Nabiki and Akane glared at him. Genma didn't seem to notice.

"Hmph," Nabiki said, turning back to Genma, "I have to ask, wasn't the Ranma that I met earlier a girl?"

"Well, it'd be easiest to show you and explain afterwards, so…" Genma's hand flashed out at Ranma.

Ranma caught it, and pulled.

There was a sickening popping sound and Genma hastily pulled his arm back. He shoved his dislocated shoulder back into place. He rubbed the sore shoulder, and lashed out at Ranma again. This time, he managed to grab Ranma before Ranma caught him.

"Damn you, Genma!" Ranma yelled as he flew through the air. Ranma landed in the koi pond outside.

The all watched as a blonde haired girl popped back out of the water.

"He.. he's a she again," Nabiki noted.

"It is so sad!" Genma started to fake tears, very poorly. It merely made him looked extremely constipated, and Akane and Nabiki were backing away from him, "My own son!"

"I'm not your son, Genma!" Ranma shouted.

"I'm hurt, Ranma," Genma's face contorted more. His eyes started to bulge in a very ugly fashion. Akane had to suppress a scream, while Nabiki looked slightly ill, "My own son…"

"Stop that, you old fool," Ranma smacked Genma on the back of the head none-too-gently. It managed to get Genma to stop making those horrible faces, "You're gonna make 'em puke."

"How…" Soun asked, "You are…?"

"In our travels," Genma said, "We happened upon the ancient cursed training grounds of Jusenkyo. It was there that Ranma acquired his cure. Oh for shame, my own mroofoo…"

Panda's cannot say the word 'son'. The Tendo's stared at the large panda that now resided here in front of them. The panda, Genma, again started to try and fake tears. It made him look like he was about to attack some invisible creature that was currently hanging from the ceiling.

"Here," Ranma said, pulling a booklet out of Genma's pack. Genma saw it, and wondered how in the world Ranma knew that was in there. Ranma then threw the booklet lightly onto the table.

"Moof?" Genma asked. Ranma glared at him.

"Jusenkyo," Nabiki said. She opened the booklet, "…this is in Chinese."

"Yup," Ranma said, "The 'pools of sorrow' of legend. Very bad you fall in spring. Very sad story."

"What?" Akane asked, staring at Ranma.

"Never mind," Ranma shook her head, "The pools hold curses. And it states in that book that the curses are most tragic and sad in origin."

"What curses?" Nabiki asked.

Well… Genma held up a sign, with kanji written on it, Ranma and I sparred on top of the bamboo poles. the sign flipped around My attacks overwhelmed him and he tumbled into flip a spring. When he immerged, he was a girl. flip Oh the humility…

Nabiki stared at the sign.

"That's not the way it happened, old fool," Ranma sighed, "I was the one that knocked YOU into the spring. You jumped out as a panda, and I freaked out. THEN you hit me into the damned Spring of Drowned Young Girl."

Well… Flip The guide told us later that that curses were flip activated by cold water. Hot water would flip return us to our original forms.

Nabiki again found herself staring at the sign. How… that sign only had two sides.

"Wait," Nabiki shook her head, "You got this book before or after you went there?"

Before.

"You can't read Chinese, can you?" Nabiki asked the panda.

The panda pulled out a large party ball and pulled the ripcord. A banner flew from it, and small pieces of paper flew around the room. The banner plainly said "CORRECT!"

"You're an idiot," Ranma rubbed her temples.

"You're still a pervert," Akane said suddenly.

"I am not a pervert you tomboy," Ranma said coldly.

"I am not a tomboy!" Akane stood suddenly and glared at her.

"Yes you are!" Ranma yelled, "You're an uncute tomboy who's built like a brick!"

"At least my mother didn't leave me on the doorstep to some damn orphanage," Akane snarled.

Everyone looked at Akane. Ranma had seemingly frozen, but if you looked closely, you could see her shaking slightly.

"Akane," Nabiki said, "Even for you, that was a really low blow."

Akane didn't look sorry, she just stared into Ranma's now shuddering form.

"DO NOT TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER THAT WAY, YOU BITCH!" Ranma yelled in pure anger and hatred, "I SWEAR I SHALL RIP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF IF YOU EVER SPEAK OF HER LIKE THAT!"

Akane fell back, staring at Ranma in shock and fear.

She was too scared to notice, but Ranma's eyes had suddenly become slitted like a cats and a weird green color. They glinted with unknown power that was held behind them.

Nobody moved. Ranma calmed down a small bit.

"I'll have you know that my mother was a wonderful woman," Ranma said, "It wasn't her fault to be killed, nor was it my fault to FUCKING see it when that bastard slit her throat. It wasn't MY fucking fault to see her body burned, lying on top of the body of my dead father."

…Ranma clenched her fists.

"It wasn't MY fucking fault that her blank eyes staring at me haunts me every single GODDAMNED time I close my eyes."

…Ranma's eyes narrowed, and an inhuman growl escaped form her throat.

"It wasn't my GODDAMN fault that my baby sister disappeared that day and I haven't FUCKING seen hide nor hair of her since."

Ranma breathed in deeply.

"If I ever hear you speak ill of my family ever again," Ranma glared at her, "I WILL kill you… and nobody, not even Kami, God, or whatever spirit or deity you believe in, would be able to stop me."

Ranma walked slowly out of the room, heading up the stairwell.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Ranma couldn't believe it. Actually, he could, it was just that when he thought about it he got even more pissed off at the world.

Ranma was walking along side Akane on their way to school. Ranma didn't care about school. Go there or not, he was smart enough to survive and to do what he wanted to do.

"When we get to school," Akane called, "We DON'T know each other."

"I don't want to know you," Ranma said, "I don't want to know any of your kind."

"My kind?" Akane asked hotly.

"Don't ask," Ranma said, "You wouldn't believe me."

"Tell me," Akane asked.

Ranma glanced at Akane. She was headstrong, a bit rude, and definitely a tomboy. Ranma smirked as he realized that she would be easy to confuse.

"Oh, it's nothing," Ranma said, waving his hand for emphasis, "You humans are all alike."

"You humans?" Akane deadpanned, "And what are you?"

"I am a intergalactic pirate that got sentenced to this pile of rock because I stole the crown off the king of the Ani's head," Ranma said, "My real name is Nanu Nanu Bartzlaski the forty second."

Akane stared at him for a moment, before shaking her head.

Akane suddenly started to sprint.

Ranma, seeing Akane race forward, started after her. He was still on the fence, and he was now running backwards.

"What's with you, human?" Ranma said, "Afraid of the ancient pirate of the Nunchaku galaxy, famed prince of fancy French cheeses and the servant to he-who-is-flatulent?"

Akane started to go faster, but Ranma kept up with her.

Eventually, Ranma ran out of fence, so he hopped to the ground and jogged behind Akane.

He slowed as he saw Akane enter a large crowd of boys. After she disappeared, there were many cries of pain and the sound of flesh hitting flesh, wood, even the sound of metal striking together every once in a while.

Ranma walked around the group, which was taking up the entire gate. He hopped over the wall, before landing. He cocked his eyebrow at the antics. He heard Nabiki call to him, but he ignored it.

Akane soon was in the middle of a large group of unconscious boys.

"Popular, ain't ya?"

Akane's hand flashed up to catch the rose that was coming towards her. She didn't catch it though. She opened her eyes to see that Ranma had caught it.

"Whoever threw this should be careful," Ranma said, "Could poke an eye out."

Ranma casually tossed it away.

"Fool," A voice said, "Who are you that is so casual with Akane?"

"Well, you see, I'm a intergalactic space monkey," Ranma said, "Soft boiled in the eternal oils of the sacred Shish-Kabob."

The boy who carried the long wooden sword, a bokken, didn't react, he simply started yelling again.

"Hold!" He yelled, "Is it not polite to state ones one name before asking another for theirs? I am Tatewaki Kuno; rising star of the Furinkan school Kendo squad, the Blue Thunder of Furikan high, age seventeen."

Ranma noted how it would be easy to confuse him... but only if he didn't confuse Ranma himself.

"What...?" Ranma said, looking at him oddly for a moment., "Whatever, man... The name's Ranma."

"No last name to give?" Kuno asked, "So you are a ronin. How dare you spe…"

"I'm not a ronin, you ass bag," Ranma said, "I'm not even Japanese, and I was never a damn Samurai. Legally, I am Ranma Saotome. The head of the Saotome Clan happens to be an complete idiot, and I'd rather be thought a bastard that to be thought as that mans son."

"The shame that you bring upon your family," Kuno said, "As a noble samurai, I must punish you for such dishonor, even if you are Gaijin!"

Kuno raced forward, preparing to strike Ranma. Ranma suddenly blurred. Kuno's form went strait through Ranma, only to land on the other side, face down.

Ranma's face held one of aggrovation as Kuno arose.

"I… I fight on!" He yelled as he looked towards Ranma.

He charged again. As he got close, Ranma's leg blurred, sweeping upwards in a graceful ark. It impacted Kuno's sword and caused it to go flying out of his hand. Unable to properly pull because of his momentum, Kuno could only watch as Ranma spun around and slammed the same foot that he had used earlier into Kuno's face.

Kuno was shoved back, gracefully landing on his ass before toppling over. There was a large red mark in the middle of his face that was shaped like a shoe.

Everyone was staring at the boy and his super human speed.

* * *

_Note: I've decided to do the part of the Anime that I had previously skipped (ie: arrival through saffron). Also, I changed some of the stuff above this because when I came back to review it again, I found that Ranma was basically going around telling every one that he would kill them. Not very Ranma-esque or Rhys-like. It'll be interesting to see how I can utilize Ranma's species without letting the main characters know about it. I can think of a few ways I can possibly get by it with the Tendo's and Genma, but Nodoka, the Amazons, and especially Ryoga will be hard to contend with._


	3. Ch2  School'n

* * *

Chapter Two : School'n

* * *

"This is your fault you know," Akane said.

"What?" Ranma said, looking at her with an amazed and angry look, "How the hell is this my fault? The dude attacked me!"

"I defeat Kuno every morning and I've never been late before," Akane said.

"Well then Kuno must throw the fight," Ranma noted.

"No he doesn't!" Akane said, "I beat him fair and square!"

"With the skill I saw him use and the skill I saw you use last night," Ranma said, "There's no way you could beat him if he actually tried unless you managed to hit him with one of your gorilla punches."

Akane gritted her teeth and shivered with anger. Ranma looked like his mind was currently a complete blank.

If they weren't already in trouble, she would whoop his ass. Yeah, that's the ticket.

The silence prevailed for a good while. Ranma continued to stare off with a blank face, simply bidding his time until he was allowed back in class. Akane, however, continued to get angrier and angrier. Mainly because of Ranma's expression.

Smug asshole. That's it, at lunch his ass is grass! Yeah, that's the ticket.

We don't know why there's a sleazy old man from the sixties living in Akane's head that continuously says 'that's the ticket'.

To make things worse, for the past thirty seconds a repetitive noise was coming from down the hallway. A thump thump thump thump thump thump thumping. As it grew louder, Ranma glanced off to the side, looking down the hallway.

To see Kuno tear-assing towards them, water bucket akimbo.

"What's up with him?" Ranma asked no one in particular as his expression finally changed to one of slight confusion. It was still pretty obvious that he didn't really care.

"I will not allow it!" Kuno yelled as he ran towards them. He tossed one of his buckets towards them, causing both Ranma and Akane to step away as not to get splashed, "Akane! Tell me it is not true! Tell me you are not truly engaged to Ranma... what's his face!"

Akane instantly went into panic mode as the windows to the class instantly slid open, revealing at least six entire classes that had been listening.

Ranma, however, just looked confused.

"Ranma what's-his-face?" he asked himself.

"It's not true!" Akane yelled, "It was our parents idea! There's no way I'm engaged to that moron!"

"Yeah, I'd never want to get engaged to Miss Gorilla Fist over here," Ranma said.

"RANMA!" Akane yelled.

"What? Your punches could knock over a house," Ranma said, still emotionless, "You act like it wasn't a compliment."

"Insulting the fair Akane!?" Kuno yelled, drawing his bokken, "I shall not allow it!"

Ranma rolled his eyes.

"This is no place to fight," Ranma said, hopping back away from him before running off, "Follow me."

"I shall!" Kuno said bolting off towards him.

As they transversed the hallways, Kuno found himself hard pressed to keep up. This insolent whelp was running inhumanly fast. What made it worse was that he looked like he was just out jogging through the park and not tear-assing through the school.

"Hey! No running in the halls!" A teacher yelled.

"Yes, sir!" Akane answered as she blew past him with the entire third floor student body following after her.

Ranma checked around him as he neared the end of the hallway, scanning around for places where he could gain access outside.

Bingo, open window, dead ahead.

Leaping up onto the sill for a split second, he launched himself out the window. He glanced back to see Kuno following suit.

"You idiots!" Akane yelled, "This is the third floor!"

"That's okay," Ranma said back, "A fall from the third floor is..."

He then noticed that they were directly over a the school swimming pool.

"Ah, crap," He grumbled a split second before he found herself suddenly immersed in the cool, crisp, and clean pool water.

Mmmm, taste that chlorine goodness.

As she got reoriented under the water, she checked herself over quickly, seeing that she was indeed currently a she.

Damnit, I don't want everyone to know about the curse! I'd never see the end of it!

She floated there for a split second, thinking of how she could get out of this without letting everyone know of her... condition.

The answer presented itself as Kuno's body moved to blot out the light over her. Glancing up, she saw that he was floating face first with a goofy expression. His face was already starting to turn red from the third floor belly flop.

Mentally sighing; because actually sighing could kill her; she swam up to Kuno. She pulled him along with her so that no one would be able to see her.

Easily carting Kuno along with her, she lifted him up slightly so that she could bring her head above water. She draped his arms over her shoulders so she wouldn't have to hold onto him.

Sadly, this is where Kuno regains what little sense he has.

"I fight on!" He said loudly as he grabbed at Ranma.

Sadly for Ranma, in his grab, her managed to reach around her and place his hand directly onto her breasts; vigorously manhandling her for a few moments.

Ranma just twitched. And then she snapped.

"Pervert!" She cried out as her body tingled for a split second. She then hurled Kuno onto the concrete beside the pool hard enough to crack the concrete. She paused there for a split second before realizing what she looked like. She then made a break for the school wall, easily traveling the few hundred yards across the tarmac and field in nigh a few seconds. She them vaulted of the wall with plenty of feet below her to spare.

Akane just blinked, several of the other students followed suit.

Ranma had looked... different.

"Hey, didn't Saotome look taller for some reason?" One of the boys said.

"I think so," A girl answered, "And I don't remember him wearing a yellow belt either."

"A belt?" The boy asked.

"I dunno, it was trailing behind him."

"Man! That guy can run! He cleared the length of the soccer field in nothin' flat!"

* * *

**Later, On Top of a Nearby Building**

Ranma just sat there leaning up against an air vent, trying to dry herself off in the sun. That had been close. Too close for comfort. She grimaced at her lack of control back at the school. This curse was making it hard to focus.

Sighing, she looked down at her arms.

Her underarms were currently covered in a coat of silky white fur. The top of them covered in yellow fur with brown spots. She looked herself over, having not seen her female form like this before.

She had gotten a lot bigger, both in height and in bust. She didn't want to take off her shirt because it was barely big enough to fit her without having it look like it was skin tight. She didn't want it to rip or anything, so she unbuttoned the top button. This allowed her to breath better at the expense of showing off her ample chest cleavage, which was also covered in white fur.

She breathed deep for a few moments. Running like that had made her struggle for air.

Ranma's face was covered in the same white fur. Her ears had turned into car ears and her green eyes had become slitted like a cats. Two black marks were under her eyes.

In other words, she was a cheetah-girl.

She looked off. She hadn't been in her hybrid form since... damn. A _long, _long time ago. Maybe even half a year. She breathed in, taking in the scent around her. It felt good to finally stretch her tail after so long.

She was so absorbed in sitting there, she didn't hear someone approaching until they were right next to her.

Her eyes snapped open as she heard the gravel of the rooftop crunch. She flipped to her feet, getting into a low position on the opposite side of the air vent from the sound. Shit, shit! She had let someone see her like this!

"A-ha," The man said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

The man was tall for a Japanese man. His brown hair was cut short. He wore a small pair of glasses and what looked like a doctors white medical coat.

Ranma didn't respond, she just looked at him cautiously.

"I was simply coming up to see what it was that I kept hearing through the air vents," He said, "Never expected to see a were-cheetah though."

"You..." Ranma said cautiously, "Who are you?"

"Oh, excuse me," He bowed, "My name is Doctor Tofu Ono. I own the clinic that we're currently on top of. And what's your name?"

Ranma thought about that for a moment.

"Rhys," She said, "Sorry 'bout bothering you."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Tofu said, "Today has been a slow day anyway."

He then noticed something.

"You're completely drenched," He said, motioning towards a nearby stairwell, "Come inside, I'll let you have a towel. Heaven knows that fur takes a long time to dry."

"Um..." Rhys said, before walking from around the air vent, "Thanks."

What the hell did he mean by that?

* * *

Rhys caught the towel that Tofu had tossed to her. The smell of this place stung her nose slightly from all the chemicals used to keep everything sterile.

"Um..." She said, not yet toweling off, "Can I ask for a glass of warm water first?"

"Water?" Tofu asked, "Oh, yes, of course."

He walked over to a nearby sink and poured some warm water into a disposable cup that he grabbed from a nearby stack. He then gave Rhys the water, who proceeded to pour it onto her head.

The transformation back to male was achieved.

Tofu raised an eyebrow.

"I've never seen _that_ transformation before," Tofu said.

"It's a curse," Rhys said, "I wish I could control it like my other transformation, but..."

He trailed off as he started to towel himself off.

"Now," Tofu said, leaning up against a counter, "What's a were-cheetah doing way out in Nerima?"

"Ugh," Rhys said, "The fool of my adopted father brought me here. I'd much rather leave both Nerima and Japan behind me."

"Surely Japan isn't that bad," Tofu asked, amused by that comment.

"Nah, there's nothin' wrong with Japan," Rhys said, "It's the people that I live with."

"And I take it they don't know," Tofu asked, motioning towards Rhys' current 'fuzzy' state.

"No, thank god," Rhys said, "I don't want to be there when _that _situation explodes."

"It's quite a sight to see," Tofu said, "A were-cheetah after the... incident, I mean."

"You know about that, huh?" Rhys looked down with a depressed look.

"Yes," Tofu said, "Some people are privy to that sort of thing. Not all of the more supernatural people fled from earth. They, and certain archaeological and arcanist groups, know about things such as that. Sadly none of them were able to stop it."

"Don't worry about it," Rhys said, shrugging, "I was only, like, two when it happened. I don't remember much..."

Rhys then looked down, deep in thought with a depressed look on his face.

"I'm sorry," Tofu said.

"What for?" Rhys asked, looking up.

"You said that you were living with your _adopted_ father," Tofu said, before shrugging and leaving the sentence hanging there.

"Yeah, both my parents and my little sister," Rhys said, "Although I still have a little bit of hope my sister's alive."

"Really?" Tofu said, "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, do not hesitate to ask."

"Huh?" Rhys said, "But... how could you...?"

"How could I help?" Tofu cocked an eyebrow and smirked, "As I said, certain people, myself included, are privy so those sort of things. And a sighting of a were-cheetah is 'a sight to see'. I have many connections, not all of them human. You'd be surprised how much mumbo jumbo you get caught up in a medical school."

Rhys laughed a small bit, shaking his head.

"Thanks, Doc," Rhys said, "I have ta admit, I don't know much about anything like that. No one to teach me I guess."

"I'm sure that several of the people I know would rather enjoy meeting a were-cheetah survivor and talking for a small while," Tofu said, "There's such a select few, they don't really have anyone to talk to that would really believe them very often."

"Sure," Rhys said, turning back to Tofu, "Anythin' that would help, I guess."

"Where might you be staying?" He asked, "In case I find anything?"

"Ugh," Rhys said, "The Tendo residence. The old fool is trying to get me to marry one of the daughters. Even though one of 'em's pretty nice, I've never really been into human girls."

"Th-the Tendo residence?" Tofu asked, getting nervous all of a sudden, "Well... I guess I'll call you there then."

Rhys nodded, before transforming back into human, shrinking almost a two feet in height. He dismissed the fact that Tofu had almost gone into panic mode for a moment. Knowing the Tendo's, especially Akane, a state of panic didn't seem too unlikely of a reaction.

"Ask to talk to Ranma Saotome, though," Rhys said as he walked towards the door.

"Who's that?" Tofu asked.

"Me," Rhys said, "It's the name that Genma, my adopted father gave to me. He gets really pissed off if I start usin' my real name."

Tofu nodded in agreement. Rhys nodded in return and started to walk outside.

"Rhys, one more question," Tofu asked.

"Yeah, Doc?" Rhys turned to him.

"Which...?" Tufo coughed, "Wh-which Tendo are you... engaged to?"

"Um... Akane," Rhys blinked, "Why?"

"Ah, n-no, it's n-nothing," he said, looking kinda relieved, "Have a nice day."

"You too, Doc," Rhys answered before leaving.

* * *

The walk back to the Tendo residence was, to say the least, probably one of those 'quiet before the storm' moments. Rhys planned to take full advantage of the fact that Akane and Nabiki wouldn't be out of school for hours. That was the benefit of bolting off school property while it was still homeroom period.

He felt better.

For the first time in a long while, he felt better. No panda getting on his case with his signs that defy logic, no crazy super strong gorilla fist chick with a anger problem...

A thought popped into his head.

Maybe Akane has a sugar imbalance. Something like that's supposed to make you flip out, right?

Nah, probably heard that on TV or something.

Actually getting to talk about the incident, however brief, made him feel better. Tofu was actually the first person he had ever told. He was sixteen. He had kept that a secret for almost fourteen years. Probably not healthy.

It was also rather nice to stretch his more 'furry' side. There are some things you can only really enjoy unless you're a cat. Plus, he had managed to catch a glimpse at his female hybrid form in a mirror at the clinic. He had to admit... when he was like that, he was pretty hot.

Oh right... Giggity giggity!

But what really lightened him up was that he might have found a way to find his sister. That alone made him feel like he could be happy even if Genma did another crazy ass stunt like the Neko-ken again.

And before he knew it, he found himself entering the Tendo home.

"Oh, Ranma," Kasumi's voice came, "Was today not a school day?"

Kasumi was currently sitting in the living room, facing the tv. The news was on.

"Uh..." Ranma said, "Nah, there was school today. I just... um... I just... left."

"Why would you do that?" Kasumi asked.

"There was a fight, I guess," Ranma answered, "Well, it couldn't really be called a fight, it was more like a chase. Long story short, I had to leave so that nobody would find out about my curse."

"Oh my," Kasumi said, "I hadn't though about that. That does make going to school a little hard."

"So... um..." Ranma said, "What 'cha watching?"

"Oh, just the news," Kasumi said, "I don't get to leave the house very much, so I make sure I'm up to date with what's going on outside."

"Uh..." Ranma said, glancing around confused for a moment, "What's keepin' ya' from goin' out?"

"Oh, the chores," Kasumi said, "Breakfast, washing, cleaning, then I go get the ingredients for dinner, then I make dinner, and after that I make sure the house is locked up before going to bed."

"You..." Ranma said, "You mean nobody helps you do the chores? That's kinda screwed up."

"Hmm, maybe," Kasumi said, sighed, "But ever since Mother died..."

She trailed off.

"They've shoved all tha responsibility 'bout tha house onto you," Ranma said, "Sounds ta me like they're just usin' ya."

"I guess so," Kasumi sighed, "But someone has got to do it."

"So you've accepted it?" Ranma asked.

"For the most part," Kasumi said, tilting her head slightly, "Father, Akane, and Nabiki changed so much after mother died..."

"Doesn't matter," Ranma said, "They shouldn't be doin' that. And I'm not gonna do that to ya myself. I'll help ya around the house."

"Oh, no," Kasumi said, looking up at him, "You really don't have to do that for me. I wouldn't want to be a burden."

"Ya got it all backwards," Ranma said, "If I didn't, _I_ would be a burd'n ta _you_. I'll earn keep for both Genma and I because god knows that Genma never will. He may clean the floors once a month or somethin', but he's all about cut'n corners."

"You really shouldn't speak about you're father that way..." Kasumi said, kinda sheepishly, like she was afraid of his response, "Even if you are adopted..."

"Genma stopped being my adopted father a long time ago," Ranma said straitly, a sour expression coming to his face, "I can't stand him. He's the total opposite of my real father... well, from what little I remember of him. I only follow him around because he's my legal guardian and I don't wanna end up in jail or somethin'."

"I'm sorry," Kasumi said, still looking kinda sheepish, "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"Don't worry 'bout it," Ranma smirked, "I know ya didn't mean no harm by it or nothin'."

* * *

_Note: I love sarcastic characters, mainly because I'm just as sarcastic in real life. Heh heh heh heh heh. Yeah, that's the ticket._

_Oh, and the sugar imbalance thing I got off of a performance of Titus, the comedian._

_Oh, and HUZZAH!!!_


	4. Ch3 Curse of the Miniature Chapter

* * *

Chapter Three : Curse of the Miniature Chapter 

* * *

**The Next Day**

"What are you doing?" Nabiki asked.

"Um..." Ranma said, "Sweeping the porch, why?"

"You don't have to worry about it," Nabiki said, "Kasumi always does that."

"I'm doin' it for her," Ranma stated.

"Why?" Nabiki said.

"Well..." Ranma said, "Someone has ta do it. She deserves a little help and no one else seems to be doin' it."

"I would do it if I had the time," Nabiki said, "I'm the one who keeps the family from going under."

"Yes, I'm sure the amount of time ya spend drinkin' cola and watchin' TV is important when it comes down to it," Ranma rolled his eyes.

"Watch yourself, Saotome," Nabiki said, "You don't want me as an enemy."

"Trust me, Nabiki," Ranma said, turning to her, "You can't be any worse than the enemies I have now."

"Oh, and I'm sure a sixteen year old has plenty of enemies," Nabiki noted.

"I'm not…" Rhys stopped and sighed, "You'd be surprised, Tendo. And My name ain't Saotome."

"Oh really?" She asked, "And what is it?"

"None of your damn business," Ranma said, turning to face her, his face and voice still cold and emotionless, "Now if you would please move, I need ta sweep the area that your standing on."

Nabiki narrowed her eyes a small bit. She remained there for a few moments before she turned and walked back inside the house.

Ranma shook his head for a small moment, before he quickly started to finish up sweeping the porch. It was just after he had finished that Kasumi popped her head outside.

"Ranma," She said, "Oh my, did you sweep the porch?"

"Yeah," He said, "No sweat, I could do it in my sleep."

"Oh, thank you," She smiled, "I just came to tell you breakfast is ready."

"Sweet, thanks," Ranma said.

Hark! A call comes from the heavens! The great Valkyrie brings her heavenly weapon down upon the unjust!

Or... Akane comes out of nowhere with a huge mallet screaming, "PERVERT!"

Ranma's face was, in turn, forced into the porch with enough force to bust a huge hole in the wood.

Ranma set up almost instantly afterwards.

"What did ya do that for!?" He yelled.

"Stop hitting on my sister, pervert!" She yelled.

"I ain't hittin' on nobody!" Ranma said, "I was sweepin' the porch!"

"Yeah right," Akane said, before she walked inside.

At that point, Nabiki happened to walk by.

"I hope you have the money to repair that, Saotome," She smirked at him.

"Bull!" He said, "It was that tomboy that made it!"

"I seem to remember it was your face that did the damage," Nabiki said.

"Only because she hit me with that big ass hammer!" Ranma countered, standing up.

"You're not getting out of this, Ranma," Nabiki said, "No matter what excuse you give."

"Get out of it?" Ranma said, "How the hell did I get _into_ it!? I don't have any money!"

"Well, you can either pay for it or fix it," Nabiki said.

"Well, why didn't you say that in the first place!?" Ranma said loudly, "I'll fix it, fine, but I won't pay for somethin' I didn't do!"

"Then we have an agreement," Nabiki said.

"Yeah, yeah," He said, "Whatever."

* * *

_Note: I've been having all these ideas but I can't do any of 'em because it would reveal Ranma's secret and make the initial Inheritage impossible! Argh! RAAAGH! BUNGALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! I'm doin' an Alternate Story! Different! Not Mainstream! Non Conformist! Antidisestablishmentarianism! Oxymoron! Jumbo Shrimp! Turkey Fried Over Mits! LASER LIGHT SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!_

_Me and my shadow are a walking contradiction._

_Note2: I know, I hate super short chapters too. This one just turned out that way. The rest of the chapters will be longer._


	5. Ch4  The Clearing

* * *

Chapter Four : The Clearing Just West of the Fountain 

* * *

**Furinkan**

"Run track?" Ranma said, "I don't wanna be on a sports team."

"What?" A boy named Hiroshi said, "But it would guarantee us a victory, with how fast you ran across the field yesterday!"

"It'd be too easy," Ranma said, "I don't wanna join because it wouldn't be any fun if it was too easy."

"Aw, come on," Another boy, Ichiro, said.

"No way," Ranma said.

"Well then, can you tell us how you got so fast? How'd you train?" Ichiro asked, "The track team'll do anything to win these days!"

"I didn't train," Ranma said, "I've always been that fast. But if you want you could try tying yourself to the back of a train and trying to keep up. Genma made me do that one once, I'm sure that would make you faster."

"Are you kidding? That would kill us!" Ichiro said.

"You mean you've always been super fast?" Hiroshi asked, "Where are you from, anyway?"

"I think I was born in Africa somewhere," Ranma said.

"Wow!" Hiroshi said, "So you're technically African!?"

"I... uh..." Ranma looked at him, kinda unsettled that someone was that excited about something like that, "I guess."

"So that means every body in Africa _can_ run fast!"

"That's kinda racist, you know," Ichiro said.

"Yeah," Ranma looked at him, kinda weirded out.

"Oh... really?" Ichiro asked.

"Anyway," Hiroshi asked, "How fast can you go anyway?"

"Dunno, never been clocked," Ranma said.

"Show us," Ichiro said.

"What?" Ranma asked.

"It's gym right?" Ichiro said, "And if you won't join the team, at least show us how fast you can go."

"Ugh," Ranma said, "Fine."

* * *

A few minutes later, Ranma stood at one end of the field. A large crowd of people had gathered to watch the sprint. They had even found the cap gun that they used for the track team. Ichiro stood nearby with it above his head. He slowly pulled the trigger, both hands on the gun.

When it went off, the force caused him to topple over.

At the sound of the gun, Ranma tore ass across the field. It wasn't anywhere near as fast as he could go in hybrid form, but he wasn't about to shift in front of the entire school.

He couldn't remember the last time he ran just to run. Sure, not something most people would think as fun. But it was one of the few things he could do well that didn't have any bad memories about.

Nearing the other side of the field, he suddenly heard a cry go out. He didn't even notice the base ball heading his way until it was too late. It slammed into his cheek hard enough to knock him off balance. Being off balance made him trip, making him fall to the ground and slide a good fifteen feet before he stopped.

A few students ran over to him as he sat up. He pulled the ball out of the indentation that it had made into his face.

"Hey, you okay?" A girl asked.

"I thought you did martial arts," Hiroshi said, "Couldn't you have dodged that?"

"I was distracted."

* * *

**Later – Tofu's Clinic**

"Oh, hello... Akane!" Tofu said, "And...?"

"Ranma," He said, kinda confused why Tofu was acting like this.

"Oh, yes, Ranma," He said, "I'm sorry, I had forgotten. I have a terrible memory at times."

"Don't sweat it, Doc," Ranma said.

"You know each other?" Akane asked.

"Oh, we happened to meet just yesterday," Tofu nodded, "Now, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit."

"Ranma got hit with a baseball," Akane said.

"Really?" Tofu asked, looking at Ranma. His cheek was bruised and he could still see the impression of the baseball, "Hmm. An impression this deep... did you hit this baseball, Akane?"

"Um..." Akane blushed, "Y-yeah, kinda."

"I knew it!" Tofu slapped his knee, "Only a person as strong as Akane could cause this sort of damage."

Ranma wasn't totally sure if that was a compliment or an insult.

"Yes, I have a balm that will be perfect," Tofu said, "Luckily, people who have the same body structure as Ranma are surprisingly easy to heal."

Ranma glanced at the Doctor at that.

"Body... structure...?" Akane asked.

"Why, yes!" Tofu said, walking into a small storage closet, "Those who commit themselves entirely to martial arts tend to heal very quickly! With this balm, all that damage will be gone by tonight!"

Ranma sighed in relief.

"Ah, here we are," Tofu said, coming out of the closet after a few minutes. He handed Ranma a small bottle full of a thick yellowish substance, "Just put this on your cheek when you get the chance."

"Thanks, Doc," Ranma said.

"My pleasure, Ranma," He said, "Although I hope your visits won't always be because of some sort of injury."

"I'll try not to go out of my way to hurt myself," Ranma told him, opening the door.

"That is all I ask," Tofu said, "Have a nice day!"

Ranma started to walk down the street, tossing the bottle from hand to hand. Akane walked beside him for a small while in silence.

"When did you meet Dr. Tofu?" She asked.

"Huh?" Ranma looked back at her, "Oh... yesterday. After I split when me and Kuno fell in the pool. I was on the rooftop when we met."

"On the rooftop?" Akane asked.

"Sure," Ranma said, "Roof hopping. It's a pretty fast way to get around. You don't have ta turn down different streets, you just jump from roof to roof until you get somewhere."

"It seems like you made a good impression anyway," Akane said.

"Whadda ya mean, 'anyway'?" Ranma asked. He shook his head, "The Doc's a pretty cool guy, I guess. He some sort of martial artist?"

"Y-yes, but he mostly studies shiatsu pressure points," Akane said, "Why do you ask?"

"He managed to sneak up on me yesterday," Ranma said, "Granted, I was pretty distracted."

"You can never let an opportunity to compliment yourself pass by, do you?" Akane asked darkly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ranma asked, "I _was_ distracted!"

"Whatever," Akane hmphed and started to walk faster.

Ranma just watched her as she walked further and further away.

"Hmph," Ranma said, "What's her problem?"

* * *

**A Small While Later – Tendo Residence**

"Dinner is almost ready," Kasumi said as Ranma finished having to beat Genma a new face. Seeing that he was out of breath from the exertion, she added, "Why don't you go wash up while you wait?"

"Yeah, good idea," Ranma said, "Genma should be awake in time to eat with us."

"Oh good," Kasumi said, "He would be very cross if he had to reheat something."

"Yeah, cross," Ranma noted quietly, "More like livid."

"Hmm?" Kasumi asked, hearing him mumbled something.

"Oh, nothing," He said, scratching the back of his head, "Just mumbling to myself."

Kasumi just nodded and walked back into the house.

* * *

As Ranma entered the furo, having already checked and then rechecked for anyone else currently using the bath, he began to disrobe. He paused for a moment when he felt something in his pocket.

He pulled it out to reveal that it was that balm that Tofu had given him.

"Oh, I'd forgotten about this stuff," He said. Glancing in the mirror, he could see that his cheek was still pretty bruised. He mumbled to himself as he unscrewed the lid of the jar, "Stupid human girl, stupid regeneration..."

As he pulled the lid off, he saw that something had fallen out. He looked to the floor to see a small piece of paper on the ground in front of him. He placed the balm on the counter and reached down to pick it up. Unfolding it, he saw that it was a message. Ranma quietly read it aloud to himself.

_'Rhys, I have talked with the contacts that I know and we have come to find that there is a student that goes to Furinkan who is quite knowledgeable about the occult. His father is very esteemed in that area, being a mage himself. I have talked with them and they have agreed to help you. Their son, Hikaru, has agreed to meet you in Nerima park, in a small clearing to the west of the fountain at 5pm tomorrow.'_

_'PS: They're kinda weird but they're good people. I trust them to keep your secret safe.'_

_'Tofu Ono'_

"Awesome," Ranma said, smirking, "That just made my day. Hmm, I get a feeling that everything's gonna get better from here on out."

* * *

Sadly, Ranma hadn't yet stayed at the Tendo residence long enough not to read anything private aloud to himself. He didn't know that pretty much every single room in the house, including the Dojo and 90 of the back yard, was bugged.

Nabiki Tendo, the owner of said bugs, happened to be in her room at the moment that Ranma was reading that note. She hadn't payed much attention to it until she head him mumble something about girls and regeneration. At that point, she had taken her head phones and turned the sound up enough to barely make out Ranma whispering to himself.

After Ranma had finished reading the message, Nabiki smirked.

"So you're real names Rhys, huh?" Nabiki mumbled happily to herself, "I wonder what sort of secret you have."

Sadly, it seems that Ranma had indeed jinxed himself with that last sentence.

Poor poor irony.

* * *

**The Next Day – Nerima Park – Small Clearing to the West of the Fountain**

Ranma was relaxing. He's have to remember this place.

The small clearing just to the west of the fountain at the center of Nerima Park was just that; a small clearing just to the west of the fountain at the center of Nerima Park.

It was also, however, difficult to notice if you didn't know it was there. It was surrounded on all sides by both tree's and bushes, making it very difficult to see into or out of.

The certain sense of animosity that the area seemed to exude make it quite peaceful. A good place to relax without having to worry about people finding you.

And so, Ranma was sitting up against one of the larger tree's along the outside of the clearing. He was rather enjoying himself.

He suddenly heard a rustling in the bushes. Opening his eyes, he looked towards where the disturbance was coming from. Just to his left.

He suddenly heard someone cry out meekly before a person fell into the clearing. The person remained lying there for a small while. Ranma stood up and walked over to him.

"Um, you okay?" He asked. This got an immediate reaction. The boy popped up to his feet almost instantly.

"Oh, yes," The boy said, "I'm fine."

The boy was a sickly looking young chap who's skin was almost completely white. His eyes had rings around them, making it seem like he hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before. He carried a large bag that seemed to be quite heavy. The boy looked up at him.

"You...!" He said, "You're that new student at school, Ranma Saotome! The martial artist!"

"Um, yeah," Ranma said, "You Hikaru?"

"I am, but..." He said, "That means you're...?"

"I was supposed to meet you here, yeah," Ranma said, leaning back.

"Wow!" The boy said, "I should have known! Your hair is a dead give away! Oh, but... yes, my name is Hikaru Gosonkugi."

"Call me Rhys," Ranma said, "At least when no one else is around."

"Alright," Gosonkugi nodded, "I promise not to tell anyone else anything. My father would never let me live it down. A-and it wouldn't be too good for you either."

Rhys raised an eyebrow.

"I-I'm sorry," Gosonkugi said, "I just never thought to ever meet..."

"Don't worry about it," Rhys said.

"Oh, right," Gosonkugi said, "My father was busy, so he said I would come in his stead. The Doctor said that you wished for someone to help you with something."

"Yeah," Rhys said, "Two things, basically. One: I wanna find my little sister."

"Ah, I see," He said, "You must have been separated back in the werewolf attack."

"Yeah," Rhys said, looking down, "I got a feelin' she's still alive."

"Well, if anyone can find her, the Gosonkugi clan can," Gosonkugi said, "It... might take some time though."

"What? Why?" Rhys asked.

"Well, we may have a natural talent for sorcery," Gosonkugi said meekly, "We don't really have the constitution to do it for very long."

"Oh," Rhys said, looking down, before he nodded, "Eh, that's okay, I guess. You agreed ta help me, so I guess I gotta be thankful for that."

"What else?" Gosonkugi asked.

"Well," Rhys looked around a small bit, "I was only two years old when the attack happened."

"The werewolf attack," Gosonkugi supplied.

"Right," Rhys said, "I haven't ever really met anyone else like me. So... um... I hardly know anything about... my people."

"Oh..." Gosonkugi said, looking off.

"Yeah, kinda embarrassing," Rhys said.

"So you don't know anything?"

"Nope."

"Nada?"

"Uh... no."

"Nothing?"

"I already said no."

"Oh," Gosonkugi said again, looking off, "Well, I could ask my father, but we're not totally experts on your people. But I'm sure one of our lycanthropic friends would be happy to help. And, of course, none of them are werewolves."

"Sweet," Rhys nodded, "Where should we meet?"

"At night," Gosonkugi said, "East from Furinkan, about two blocks down, is an old subway entrance. There's a combination lock on it. My father said he will meet you tonight at midnight at the first platform. The combination for the lock is 3044."

"Got it," Rhys said, "Thank your father for me. See ya later."

Ranma started to leave, before Gosonkugi piped up again.

"Ah, um..." He said, "Are you really... engaged to Akane Tendo?"

"Huh?" Rhys turned back, "Yeah, I guess. Why? You interested or something?"

It probably couldn't be considered a blush, but Gosonkugi's face seemed almost to gain enough color to look healthy at that question. Rhys took that as a 'yes'.

"Look, if you want her, you can have her," He said.

"What? Why?" Gosonkugi asked, surprised, "You... don't like her?"

"Nah, its not that I don't like her," Rhys said, "I don't, its just that I've never really been interested in you 'normal people'."

"Oh..." Gosonkugi said, "I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah," Rhys said, "Well, good luck with that. See ya later."

Gosonkugi watched as he left the clearing. He stayed their for a good amount of time afterwards, staring off into space.

The beautiful Akane...

"She is still up for grabs..." He muttered quietly.

* * *

A small ways away, on the edge of the Nerima Park, Nabiki sat at an ice cream shop. She grumbled a small bit. She had heard the conversation quite clearly through the wireless audio unit she had hidden on one of the trees, but she hadn't gotten the information that she truly wanted.

Plus, what the hell was a lycanthrope anyway?

But she did learn where and when she could find out. And with it having to do with werewolves, her interest was peaked. Of course, she didn't believe in them, but with all the talk of werewolves and magick had her quite interested.

And this time, she'd be there personally.

Oh, and the fact that Gosonkugi was bonkers about Akane was also potentially very lucrative.

Smirk smirk smirk, deedily deedily smirk.

* * *

_Note: The title 'Inheritage' is a play on the phrase In Heritage, noting on how Ranma's, or Rhys', heritage is the focus point of the story._

_Note v2.0: I worked in Gosonkugi! Most people don't write about him, but he was a big enough character to be in one of the Ranma video games, so I tried to work him in after re-reading the "One Punch" side story._


	6. Ch5  Subway, Eat Fresh

* * *

Chapter Five : Subway, Eat Fresh 

* * *

**Later That Night**

"Where you goin' boy!?" Genma yelled at his son, good and drunk at the time.

"Out," Ranma said, "For a walk. I'll be back in a few hours."

"While your out," Soun said, equally as drunk, "Keep an eyes out for Nabiki, would you?"

"Sure," Ranma said as he walked out the front door.

* * *

Nabiki, however, had long ago made her way to the old subway entrance east of Furinkan. The subway was dark and unpleasantly moist. It smelled of old wet leaves and stagnate rain water. She had gotten a good hiding place inside one of the old ticket booths. The glass was old and dirty, which made seeing through it very hard. But the small opening at the bottom gave her a wide view of the platform. Being this close, she didn't need a wireless audio, but she still had one set up to record the conversation.

It was almost midnight. She sat there, waiting.

Rhys arrived at the old subway entrance. Forgoing the stairs in favor for the more direct 'jump down' method, he came face to metal bars with a old grimy gate. Looking it over for a small bit, he saw a small combination lock near the ground on the left side. Hunching down, he looked at it. The small tumbler currently read 2146. Spinning them quickly, he set it to 3044. The lock immediately popped open.

The gate swung open almost of its own accord. He grabbed it to stop it. Standing up, he glanced back up the stairwell cautiously. Opening the gate, he had to force it back in place to put the lock back on it.

He descended the stairs. The smell of stagnant water and wet leaves came to his nose. If it hadn't also had that familiar 'subway shtank', it would have smelt similar to a forest after a summer rain.

The tunnels were dark. Almost pitch black at first. Further inside, he could see that some of the lights were on. He hurried towards it.

He soon found himself at a dimly lit subway platform. Hopping over the ticket gates near the booth, he looked around the empty platform.

No one.

He glanced up at the clock that was on a nearby wall.

8.45 in the afternoon.

He shook his head. That was a big help.

Stupid broken clock...

He stood there for a few minutes longer, until a sound came to his ears. He looked up.

* * *

Nabiki, hiding in the booth, also perked up as she heard a set of footsteps.

* * *

Rhys watched as two men walked into view. One of them he instantly recognized as Gosonkugi's father, as his skin was a similar shade of white and he looked equally as frail. The other he instantly recognized as a rather large tiger man. His gaze stayed locked onto the tiger man for quite a while.

* * *

Nabiki, hiding in the booth, reacted the same way.

* * *

"Ah," Gosonkugi's father said, "You must be Rhys."

"Uh..." Rhys snapped out of his stupor, "Uh, yeah, that's me. You must be Mr. Gosonkugi."

"Yes," Mr Gosonkugi said, "And this is my friend..."

"Hiro Morisato," The tiger man said.

"Uh..." Rhys said, bowing, "Nice to meet you."

The two bowed in return.

"What's the matter, boy?" Hiro chuckled, "Never seen a weretiger before?"

"Uh..." Rhys said, "No."

"I see," Hiro nodded, "Then what Gosonkugi told me about you knowing nothing about your heritage?"

"Yeah," Rhys said, nervously.

"It is understandable," Hiro said, "You must have been very young."

"Only two or three," Rhys told him.

Hiro nodded.

"I am happy to teach you about our heritage, young cheetah," He said, laughing hardily and slapping Rhys on the back lightly.

Or at least, lightly for him. Rhys was sent face forward into the ground by the power behind the 'light' slap.

Hiro and Mr. Gosonkugi just glanced down at him. Hiro reached down and stood him back up.

"Sorry," He said, "Don't know my own strength at times."

"N-no problem," Rhys said. He was more shocked than injured.

"Now," Mr. Gosonkugi said, "My son said something about finding your sister. Perhaps you have an item of hers."

"Um..." Rhys said, "It's not really hers, but..."

He reached into the collar of his shirt and pulled a small pendant out. It was a slender green stone hanging from a thread of twine. He took it off.

"The chain... broke a long time ago," He said, "This was my mothers."

"Ah..." Mr. Gosonkugi said, "Yes, this will do. I will be most careful with it. You shall have it back just as it is now."

"How long is it gonna take?" Rhys asked.

"A few weeks, at the least," Mr. Gosonkugi said, "I believe my son told you about our families' small weakness."

"Y-yeah," Rhys said, "I don't mind how long it takes. Anything to find her again."

Mr. Gosonkugi nodded.

"Well," Hiro said, "How 'bout we start with tha basics. You know how ta transform ta yer hybrid form?"

Rhys nodded.

"Learned it by accident when I was six," Rhys said.

"Six, eh?" Hiro asked, "Interestin'. Normally we can't transform into our hybrid until puberty."

"I think it was that my... that Genma threw me into a pit of starving cats wrapped in fish sausage," Rhys said, looking off, "I think that kinda forced it on me."

Hiro and Mr. Gosonkugi just stared at him for a moment.

"What?" Mr. Gosonkugi asked, "Who's this Genma?"

Rhys shook his head.

"He's my adopted father," Rhys said bitterly.

"Well..." Hiro said, looking at Mr. Gosonkugi, "We'll leave that for later. Let's just have you transform for us."

Rhys nodded.

* * *

Nabiki, by this point, was silent only for two reasons.

One: She had trained herself in the art of espionage. She knew how to keep quiet. Her 'work' often called for her to get information through whatever means necessary, and when her subordinates couldn't handle it, she sometimes had to go covert style.

Two: The lingering idea of one large tiger furred individual ripping her apart if he noticed her.

She almost lost it when she saw Ranma... or as she now knew him to be Rhys, turn into a creature similar to the tiger furred man, except thinner and with the fur pattern of a cheetah. He grew almost two feet in height as he changed. The loose silk shirt became almost skin tight.

She only let out the smallest of peeps. After which she froze.

"Ah," Hiro said, smirking, "It is nice to see proof that the werecheetah race has not been totally demolished."

Nabiki almost sighed in relief.

Almost.

"Now, first things first," Hiro said, "What _do _you know?"

"Um..." Rhys said, "I know how to transform... I know that if you transform too many times in one day it makes you really sick... I know not to touch anything silver..."

He paused.

"Actually, that's about it," Rhys said.

Hiro nodded.

"Okay, next," He said, "Do you know your ability to infect people?"

"My ability to what?" Rhys asked confused.

"I'll take that as a no," Hiro said, "We might not be the monsters that the people in Hollywood make movies about but we do hold the power to cause regular people to become werecreatures by scratching them with our claws. Do you remember ever scratching anyone?"

"N-no," Rhys said, "I don't think so."

"Good," Hiro said, "Most werecreatures alive today take special precautions not to scratch or bite anyone. An infected person who becomes a werecreature normally has to obey any command the infecter gives them. A fate that most of us are appalled by. Are you completely sure you haven't scratched anyone."

"Until yesterday, I don't think I had transformed for years," Rhys told him, "Unless I can do it when in human form."

Hiro shook his head.

"No, ya have ta be in ya hybrid or animal form," Hiro said, "And if it was any more than a few weeks ago, we wouldn't be able to change anything. It can be stopped, but not cured. We'll just have to hope that nobody comes outta the clockworks."

Rhys looked down.

"I'm... just curious," Rhys said, "How man lycanthropes are in Japan anyway?"

"More than you would think," Hiro said, "Japan's one of tha few places in this realm where you can still find us. Myself, I live just a few blocks down the road."

"And no one ever notices?" Rhys asked.

"People don't want ta believe a lot of what really goes on," Hiro told him, "If someone's ever actually seen in hybrid form, people just write 'em off as cos-players. Does anyone know about you?"

"Only one person, I think," Rhys thought for a moment, "I think Genma knows that I'm not human, but I don't think he knows what I really am."

"How do you figure that?" Mr. Gosonkugi asked.

"He went through a weird phase a few months back that he would suddenly whip out random things and say weird mantra's and stuff," Rhys said, "Garlic, holy water... I was lucky that he was too cheap to actually get any silver, or'd I be dead or in some science lab."

"I can imagine this your father not being a very likable person," Mr. Gosonkugi said.

"You have no idea," Rhys said.

"Either way, it's getting late," Hiro said, "And even we felines aren't totally nocturnal. We'll meet back here Friday afternoon at about six pm."

"Friday?" Rhys asked.

"We're gonna renovate one of the store booths that are down here to be a bit more hospitable," Mr. Gosonkugi said, "And in the mean time, I'll start looking for your sister."

Rhys nodded.

"Alright, I guess," He said.

"I'd hurry back home," Hiro said, "You're stayin' at the Tendo's, right?"

"Yeah."

"Eh, Soun can be a handful if he gets emotional," Hiro said, "I'd hurry home before he starts to go manic on ya."

* * *

Nabiki sat there, stone still for some time after the three men left. She wanted to make sure no one was going to see her make her escape. She was rattled and didn't want to take any chances. She quickly left the booth, forcing the door open quite loudly in her haste. She sprinted towards the exit, quickly fumbling with the tumbler until the latched unlocked.

She burst from the entrance, not taking the time to close or lock it as she started to quickly run home. She just wanted to get there without anyone seeing...

"Hey, Nabiki!" Ranma's voice called out.

Nabiki skidded to a halt as she saw Ranma a la human form walking towards her.

"Ah!" She yelped, quickly slapping her hand over her mouth to stop herself.

Ranma just looked at her funny when she responded like that.

"Ah?" He asked.

"Um..." Nabiki's brain whirled into motion. Even though Ranma wasn't human, Nabiki hoped that his aloof, overly trusting, and rather dense personality wasn't a hoax as well, "A-ah, Ranma...! Wh-what are you doing out here? Now? At this late?"

Ranma just looked at her for a moment.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I-I'm fine!" Nabiki said.

"You seem skittish," He said, "Anythin' happened to ya?"

"N-no!" She said, "You just surprised me!"

"Oh," Ranma said, "Well, that's probably because you were runnin' like a bat outta hell."

"Oh, no," She said, "J-just on a midnight jog!"

"Not the safest time to be out joggin'," Ranma noted, "Anyway, I told your father that I'd look for ya while I was out. We'd better get back before he starts goin' mental or somethin'."

"Y-yeah," Nabiki said, trying to reel in her nerves, "That's a g-good idea."

"Come on," Ranma said, "No use just sittin' here."

Nabiki started to follow him. She kept a close watch on him as he lazily walked back towards the house, a smirk constantly on his face. It wasn't a cocky or sarcastic smirk like the ones Nabiki had seen him have previously; this was a genuinely warm and pleasant smile.

Nabiki kept looking at him. He really didn't look that dangerous in this form. Hell, he was actually only a few inches taller than her right now. But he wasn't an eight and a half foot tall cheetah boy at the moment. It wasn't long until Nabiki had gone back into mercenary mode.

It was then that she decided that she would find out who he really was. It was obvious that he was very good at hiding his true self from people.

"So, why are _you_ out so late, Saotome?" She asked, her normal confidence starting to come back.

"Eh," Ranma said, "Soun and Genma were drunk and really getting on my nerves. Soun asked me to look for ya as I was leaving to get some air."

Nabiki nodded, noting how Ranma didn't stutter or falter while telling that lie like he normally does. It was believable, as Nabiki did remember that her father had just opened a bottle of Sake as she was leaving. At it was probably technically true, but obviously wasn't the _main_ reason.

"Just out for some air," Nabiki quoted.

"Yep," Ranma said, not skipping a beat, "That and the best time to get in some training without Genma knowing is when it's late or when he's plastered; although normally they happen at the same time. Except that one time where he woke up and he as still pretty plastered from the five bottles of sake he had drank the night before. When he's drunk, he can think up as many crazy ideas as he wants but, in the morning, he won't remember them so it's a win-win deal."

A reasonable statement. Nabiki noted that Ranma wasn't the dumb jock that she had originally plugged him for. She was already rapidly changing several of her initial ideas about him.


	7. Ch6  A Very Long Fight Condensed V

* * *

Chapter Six : A Very Long Fight (Condensed Version) 

* * *

**The Next Day**

Ranma walked onto the school ground just like he had the day before, except without having to step around the piles of bodies that normally clogged the gateway. Looking around, he didn't see a single injured person anywhere nearby. Not even a unconscious Kuno.

Except for a collapsed Hikaru Gosonkugi just to his right.

Ranma couldn't tell if he was conscious or not. He laid there, as still as a corpse. His pale skin seemed to have a little bit more color than usual.

Of course, it wasn't more of the right color. Patches of his skin were purple and bruised, like he had just been beat up fairly badly. Seeing this, Ranma walked over to him.

"Hey..." He said, "Gosonkugi. You awake?"

"Is that..." Gosonkugi mumbled, "Is that god? Am... I dead?"

Ranma quirked an eyebrow.

"Um... no," Ranma said, "You're not dead."

"Ah yes," Gosonkugi groaned, "That _would_ explain the unearthly pain."

Ranma reached down and stood him up. Gosonkugi nearly collapsed again, but Ranma steadied him.

"Oh... Ranma," He said, still dazed, "What are you doing here?"

"Um... going to school?" Ranma supplied, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Oh..." Gosonkugi said, "I... I tried to talk to Akane."

"She beat you up?" Ranma asked, kinda surprised.

"N-no," Gosonkugi shook his head, "Kuno did, saying how a weakling such as I would never be able to defeat the fair Akane."

"Well," Ranma said, "I guess there really wouldn't be any way for you to beat Akane, but that doesn't mean he can just wail on ya like that."

Gosonkugi just looked down.

"Hmph," Ranma said, "Don't worry. I'll probably have to kick Kuno around today anyway, so I'll get him back for ya."

"Really? Thank you," Gosonkugi said, "I'd do it myself, but I doubt I should cast any spells on school grounds. Plus most of the spells that would do anything adverse to him would make me pass out anyway."

"Uh... don't worry about it."

* * *

**Lunch**

The day had progressed normally. Ranma had trampled Kuno into the dirt a few times already, making sure to hit his head a few extra times for Gosonkugi's sake.

Akane was strangely distant so far. She didn't hardly talk to him except for a few passing words.

Uneventful.

That is until the tree that Ranma had been sitting up against at lunch time suddenly disappeared from behind him.

He pinwheeled his arms to try and regain balance, but he still ended up head over heels in the whole that had replaced the tree.

Blinking a few times, he looked up to see where the tree had gone.

Above him there stood a rather peeved looking guy with a yellow and black headband. His face was construed into a face of barely contained rage. In his hands above him, he had the tree.

Ranma quickly flipped out of the hole before the angered youth could slam the tree back down on top of him.

"Heh," He said, "You haven't changed a bit, Saotome. You're still only good at running away."

Ranma looked at him for a moment. The boy did seemed familiar.

The boy seemed to notice Ranma's look of bewilderment.

"What?" The boy asked, "You don't remember me!?"

"Of course I remember you!" Ranma shot back before going silent.

My those crickets are loud.

"Well?" A student asked.

"Gimme a sec!" Ranma yelled.

"Saotome..." The boy growled, "Tell me one thing... Why did you run out on our fight!?"

"Our fight...?" Ranma muttered, "Oh, wait! I remember you! Ryoga Hibiki! Long time no see!"

"'Long time no see'?!" Ryoga roared, "Answer my question! Why did you run away from our fight!?"

"I waited there for three days," Ranma answered, kinda confused.

"Three days?" A student asked.

"Yes, and when I arrived on the fourth day, you had already fled to China with you're father!" Ryoga yelled.

"Ryoga..." Ranma asked, "Why did it take you four days to get to an empty lot only few blocks away from your house?"

"You think I was out on a stroll for three days!?" Ryoga yelled, "I suffered through hell to get there!"

"Wow, talk about a bad sense of direction," A student said.

"Shaddap!" Ryoga yelled at him before turning back to Ranma. However, upon not seeing him, he had to turn around to find him again, "Now, I've tracked you down. Prepare to die, Ranma Saotome!"

Ryoga whipped out a large bamboo umbrella from his pack, lashing out at Ranma violently. Ranma was able to dodge them by backing away from him.

"Hey, wait!" Ranma shouted, jumping away from a brutal kick, "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"What the hell is wrong with _me_!?" Ryoga yelled, jumping after him, "You're the one who wussed out on our fight!"

"Wussed out!?" Ranma replied loudly, avoiding a blow from the umbrella by leaning to the left, "You were four days late!"

"Excuses!" Ryoga yelled, swiping at him, "You skipped out on our man to man duel!"

"It was a fight about cafeteria lunch food for gods sakes!" Ranma yelled as he struck out at Ryoga, managing to hit him in the upper torso, forcing him back.

"You... you think this is just because of the bread!?" Ryoga yelled back, "This is about revenge!"

"Revenge for what!?" Ranma asked.

"I went through hell to get to that fight!" Ryoga yelled out, coming at him again, "Words cannot possibly describe the depths of my sorrow!"

"Don't blame me for your horrible sense of direction!" Ranma yelled back, blocking the blow, "It's your own damn fault for getting lost for three days!"

"You think those three days were the end of it!?" Ryoga asked, "I would have tracked you down to the ends of the earth! I will never stop until I have destroyed all of your happiness!"

"Do I look happy to you!?" Ranma yelled back.

"Do not think you can talk your way out of this!" Ryoga yelled, "I even had to walk to China to find you!"

Everything stopped for a moment.

"Wait..." Ranma said plainly, "You _walked_ to China?"

"What?" Ryoga asked, kinda confused at the question.

"How the hell did you _walk_ to China?" Ranma asked.

"You dare mock me!?"

"It's a legitimate question!"

"Shut up!"

* * *

The fight went on well after lunch was over. The two fighters seemed evenly matched. Ranma' was far faster but Ryoga seemed to be far stronger, as he had demonstrated by ripping the tree out of the ground.

The final bell of the day rang out, signaling that the school day was over. Akane walked out onto the school yard to see that it had sustained massive amounts of property damage. And smack in the middle of all that property damage was Ranma and Ryoga. Most of the students started to gather around that area to see what was going to happen next.

The two, at this point, weren't in any condition to fight. Neither of them were injured beyond a few cuts and bruises. It was their exhaustion from having fought for so long non-stop.

They were almost leaned up against each other, both looking far to tired to actually make a move against the other.

Actually, they both looked far to tired to make any sort of movement at all.

"Y-you..." Ryoga panted, "You w-won't... defeat me... Saotome..."

"Ah shuddap..." Ranma answered, "You... couldn't beat me... if both hands... were tied... ya know... tied up..."

"What's... wrong?" Ryoga asked, "Outta breath...?"

"N-no...!" Ranma said, "I'm perfectly... capable of... beating someone who... couldn't hit... a damn fly or something..."

"Why you...!" Ryoga managed to lash out one final time. A hard punch strait to Ranma's face.

Ranma, however, was also able to counterattack at the expense of taking the hit. His own hard punch also managed to hit Ryoga in the face.

The end result...?

They were both knocked unconscious.

* * *

**A Small While Later : Tofu's Clinic**

"Yes," Tofu said, "I'm glad you brought them here. Without aid, these injuries might of worsened. But how long were they fighting?"

"From noon till school let out," Akane said, "It's their own fault for exhausting themselves and then knocking each other senseless."

Tofu adjusted his glasses.

"I suspected as much," Tofu said, "Only a very long fight could drain all of the energy from two martial artists of their caliber. What were they fighting about?"

"I dunno," Akane said, making it clear that she really couldn't care less, "Something about food and hell or something."

"Well," Tofu said, "They won't wake up for a while, so why don't you just leave them here for the time being. Being so exhausted, they may even be out of it until tomorrow afternoon. I'll send them on their way when they awaken."

"Okay," Akane told him, "Just don't get caught up in their stupid fight."

"I won't," Tofu replied.

Tofu waved and smiled as Akane left the store. As soon as she rounded the corner and was out of sight, Tofu's smile disappeared and turned into a look of concern. He looked over the two, especially Ranma.

"Hmm..." Tofu said, "These bruises and cuts aren't healing as fast as they should be, even if he is in human form. That could only mean..."

* * *

_Note: There is no non-condensed version of this fight scene. No. No! NO! BAD MONGOOSE! NO BOISENBERRIES FOR YOU!!!_


	8. Ch7  Therapeutic Story Spew

* * *

Chapter Seven : Therapeutic Story Spew

* * *

**Tofu's Clinic**

It was some time later that Ranma awoke. The light above him hurt his eyes as soon as he opened them, causing him to grimace and turn his head to the side. Slowly, he sat up.

He estimated that he had been out of it for maybe five or six hours and, if that were true, all but his most major injuries would have healed.

That, however, was not the case. He was painfully made aware of this as his body ached as he sat up. Glancing at his arm, he saw that all of the bruises that he had gained from his bout with Ryoga were still there and still painful. The scuffs and scratches from hitting pretty much everything in the yard; including vegetable and mineral; were also still there.

Shaking his head, he glanced around the room to see where he was.

Door.

Desk.

Books.

Stuff Ranma couldn't really identify.

Chart of Shiatsu Pressure Points.

A skeleton named Betty.

Yep, definitely Tofu's place.

He popped his neck to try and get rid of the ache. It worked for a few moments before the ache came back.

He shook his head.

Maybe he only just got here. That's the only reason he could think of as to why he hadn't healed already. But he didn't want to risk of being seen if he went hybrid just to heal faster. He just rubbed his aching joints.

His attention was suddenly directed towards the door as he heard it opening. Tofu came into view as the door swung inward.

"Ah, I see that your finally awake," He said.

"'Finally'?" Ranma asked.

"Yes, you've been unconscious for several hours now," Tofu said, "It's almost 9pm."

"Damn," Ranma said, "Ryoga musta clocked me good to make me stay out that long with my healin'."

"Well..." Tofu said, "That's the thing. Lycanthropes; werecreatures; have only partial regeneration. Most cuts and bruises heal pretty fast, but any injury coming from magick, silver, or another werecreature can cut through that regeneration. Those wounds heal just as slowly as if a human had received them."

"So you're saying Ryoga's magickal or somethin'?" Ranma asked.

"Well..." Tofu said, putting his hand on his chin, "That's _technically_ be a possibility, but I highly doubt it."

"Ryoga wasn't carryin' no silver," Ranma said, "So... you're tellin' me that he's like me?"

"Most likely," Tofu said, "It's hard to prove, as the injuries you gave him aren't healing quickly either."

"Then ask 'em," Ranma replied.

"No good," Tofu said, "I already did. If he is a werecreature, he doesn't seem to be aware of it. If he is, he's a pretty good liar. You're both only sixteen, so that isn't too far fetched of an idea."

"You didn't tell him about me, did ya?" Ranma asked.

Tofu shook his head.

"Good," Ranma said before thinking a moment, "Is learnin' how to transform, like, somethin' you normally have to be taught?"

"Not to my knowledge," Tofu said, "But I'm not a werecreature, so I'm not 100 sure. But before we go and try to teach him or anything, we need to be sure that he even_ is_ a werecreature, but therein lies the next problem."

"Dunno how to do it," Ranma nodded, "Could use silver, but I wouldn't wish that pain even on Genma. Could ya do it with magick?"

"I've asked Gosonkugi," Tofu said, "And he's pretty sure there's a spell somewhere that can determine that sort of thing, like some variation of an Identify spell."

Ranma blinked.

"Um..." He said, "Couldn't you use, like, a _normal _Identify spell?"

"No," Tofu said, "Typical Identify spells are used to determine what sort of magickal ability an object or artifact has. Not very useful for what we need."

"Damn," Ranma remarked, "I always thought that spells just did anythin' you wanted."

"A common misconception," Tofu shrugged, "I don't know much about it myself but I do know that magick has very strict rules."

"Hmph," Ranma crossed his arms for a moment. After a small while, he looked back up, "So... is he still pissed at me or anythin'?"

"Oh yes," Tofu raised his eyebrows, "I had to lock him in a room so he wouldn't get lost. I've never seen anyone else capable of walking through one door and then coming out of one on the opposite side of the room."

"Yeah, his ability to get lost is why I didn't think him being magickal wasn't too much of a stretch," Ranma noted, looking to the side.

"But I digress," Tofu said, adjusting his glasses, "What did you do that has him so up in a snuff?"

"Oh..." Ranma said, "Long story."

"I have time," Tofu said, checking his watch, "Gosonkugi shouldn't be here for another thirty minutes or so."

"Okay, I guess," Ranma said, "It was in junior high. He would get really mad because I would always manage to get the last bread at lunch durin' school. I guess I kinda stole it from him a few times, but those things were the only thing I was eatin'. Genma was too greedy to actually give me any money to buy food and I never felt right about stealin' like he kept tellin' me to."

"I see you're distain for your adopted father has understandable roots," Tofu said.

"God, I hate that man with a _passion_," Ranma said, "What type of person wraps you in fish sausage and then throws you in a pit of starvin' cats? The only reason I survived that at all was because I somehow managed to transform."

"Yes... you're feelings towards him are very... understandable," Tofu remarked slowly.

"And it didn't start there," Ranma said, "Tyin' me to the back of a train to get teach me to run faster, puttin' a pack of wolves on me with meat in my coat pockets to teach me how to escape from danger, throwing hornet hives at me to teach me how to dodge blows, tyin' a weight to my leg and then throwin' me in a river to teach me to hold my breath longer, and don't even get me started about the god knows how many times he knocked me out and left me alone in the middle of the forest for days on end. And every single time I managed to find him, he had already sold all my belongings to get some money to buy booze. Jusenkyo was the last straw; I haven't done a single thing that bastard has said since."

Tofu blinked. It was amazing that Ranma was alive and a damn miracle he was wasn't insane.

"Well..." Tofu said, trying to get back on subject, "Back to Ryoga. You took the last bread of the day to stop yourself from starving then?"

"Yeah," Ranma said, "Ryoga might get lost pretty easy, but he's got some bad ass survival skills. No matter where this guy is he always manages to get something to eat, so I knew that I wasn't really hurtin' 'em; just pissin' him off."

"And he's out to get you over bread," Tofu noted. Even after all he's heard, believing such hatred could come from simple cafeteria food was very far fetched.

"Nah, not really," Ranma sighed, "When he got pissed off enough, he challenged me to a man to man duel. I waited for him in an empty lot only a few hundred yards away from his house for _three days._"

"Three days," Tofu quoted, kinda astonished.

"You've seen how he gets lost," Ranma said, "I was gonna wait longer, but Genma was awful pissed that I had disappeared for three days. And I was too tired and hungry to really fight back when he found me. When I came to we were already in a cargo train going full speed away from the city."

"He's mad at you skipping out," Tofu remarked.

Ranma nodded.

"Not much I could do to stop it," Ranma said, "The way the guy was talkin' yesterday made it sound like the poor bastard had gone to hell and back trying to chase me down. He even managed to _walk_ to _China._"

"You do seem to be in a bind," Tofu noted, dismissing the fact that Ranma had just said that he _walked_ to China.

"Ah, damn," Ranma looked down and scratched the back of his neck, "I've been talkin' like I was at a damn therapist or somethin'. Probably keepin' you from actual patients."

"No, not really," Tofu smirked, "The clinics public hours close at 9pm, so I don't have anything to do unless an urgent call comes in. But... what are you going to do about Ryoga?"

"Ah, I dunno," Ranma sighed, "The guys a pretty good martial artists and when he's not all raged out he's a pretty cool guy, but... It's probably hopeless, at least while I still have to stay with Genma. I'm tryin' to save up money so I can just leave his ass behind but he's as tenacious as a cockroach and as stubborn as a rock."

Ranma sighed.

"Anyway," He said, "Back to Ryoga."

"Oh, yes," Tofu said as Ranma reminded him, "Gosonkugi will be here any moment. If you want you can try and talk to him, just try not to destroy the building."

"No promises," Ranma noted as Tofu stood and walked from the room.

Ranma sat there for a small moment, thinking about how; yet again; the world looked like it was spinning out of control without him being able to do anything about it. He's survived it before, hopefully he can do it again. He sighed and shook his head.

He looked up as he heard someone walked into the doorway.

"Ryoga?" He asked, confused, "Weren't you locked in a room somewhere?"

"I ripped a fully grown pine tree out of the ground," Ryoga told him, "I can get through a locked door."

"Oh," Ranma said, looking off for a moment, "Well... Whaddaya want?"

"Is it true?" Ryoga asked.

Ranma blinked a few times.

"What?"

"Is what you said a moment ago true?" Ryoga asked again.

"H..." Ranma narrowed his eyes, "How did you hear about that?"

"The walls in this place are almost paper thin," Ryoga said, "I was in the next room down."

"Oh," Ranma found himself saying again, "So I guess you heard the story of my life."

"I never knew you were adopted," Ryoga said.

"What?" Ranma looked up at him, kinda astonished, "Look at me. I have blond hair and I don't even look remotely Asian. Plus, I don't look a damn thing like Genma."

"I thought you were an exchange student," Ryoga waved it off, "And I've never met your father."

"He is _not_ my father," Ranma said hotly.

"Yeah, yeah," Ryoga said. And then, after a few moments, he said, "So... you're a werecreature too, huh?"

"Wh-what?" Ranma almost did a double take, "How'd you... wait... 'you're a werecreature _too_'? But you told..."

"I lied, okay," Ryoga said, "I didn't want anyone to know. I've gotten used to lying about it since I'm on the road so much."

"We should have Mr. Gosonkugi look into your 'directional curse' thingy," Ranma noted.

"Shaddap," Ryoga hissed.

"I'm serious," Ranma told him.

Ryoga just grumbled.

There was a long pause in the conversation.

"So..." Ranma said, breaking the silence, "What type of werecreature are you?"

"Hmm?" Ryoga looked at him, "What do you care?"

"I was just askin', gees," Ranma said, "Curiosity is in my nature."

"Ugh," Ryoga shook his head, "I'm a werewolf, okay?"

Ranma's reaction to that wasn't one that Ryoga had expected.

Ranma suddenly went stock still. Ryoga watched as Ranma slowly turned to look up at him.

"What?" Ryoga asked, confused.

* * *

Tofu has just let Mr Gosonkugi into the clinic when they both heard a loud yell and an equally loud slamming noise. This was followed by more yelling, banging noises, and sounds of a fight.

They glanced at each other for a split second before they both moved quickly towards where the sounds were coming from.

* * *

_Note: Holy crap. I just had a wicked case of deja vu. At the point where Ranma says the thing about the 'story of his life' I distinctly remembered either writing this down or meaning to write this down. But that was almost a year ago. Damn. My super hawk eye time vision must be kicking into overdrive._

_Bieeooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh..._


	9. Ch8  Clinic Crisis

* * *

Chapter Eight : Clinic Crisis

* * *

**Tofu's Clinic**

"Ow!" Ryoga grunted as he clutched his bleeding nose, "What the hell was that for!?"

Ranma didn't respond other than lunge at him again. Ryoga tried to get up some sort of defense, but Ranma was moving incredibly fast.

Ryoga made the assumption that his speed had something do to with his cheetah fur.

That was the final thought he managed to get it before Ranma's hit landed sending Ryoga through a door, halfway through the room, and then toppling over a medical examination bed.

"Ranma?!" Tofu's voice came from the hallway. Ranma didn't turn to acknowledge him; simply going into the room he had just punched Ryoga into.

Suddenly, a chill went down his spine. Moments later, he saw a large brownish furred Ryoga rush him from behind the table. He was forced to roll to the side as the creature barely missed him.

Ryoga stood at almost nine feet tall. His body was covered in dark blow fur except for his front side and and face, which was a light gray color. His eyes, now a piercing yellow, held a very canine look to them. His muscular body became even more so. His brown, gray tipped tail swayed behind him.

Standing up quickly, Ranma sent a side kick at werewolf Ryoga's side. Ryoga managed to catch his leg, leaving Ranma open. Ryoga reeled back and tried to send a backhand into Ranma's temple but just as Ryoga before, Ranma caught the strike. Lifting himself off the ground, Ranma sent his unrestrained leg into Ryoga's exposed back causing him to wince and release his hold on Ranma's leg.

Ryoga glared at Ranma, forcing his hand out of Ranma's grip fairly easily. He came in with several palm strikes which Ranma avoided. The last one was a bluff, opening Ranma's defenses, allowing Ryoga to kick him in the stomach. This forced Ranma back away from him, and strait into a water cooler, knocking both it and Ranma over.

Ranma stood up quickly and tried to go at Ryoga again, but he was suddenly grabbed from behind. Ranma tried to struggle out of the grip but failed.

"Ranma, calm down!" Tofu's voice came from behind him.

"Lemme go!" Ranma yelled in her now singsong female voice.

"Wha...!?" Ryoga said, "What the hell!?"

"I will not have you two trying to kill each other in my clinic!" Tofu's voice called out, "Now calm down!"

Ranma stopped struggling slowly, until it came to the point when Tofu let go of her, causing her to fall to the floor.

"R-Ranma?"Ryoga said, looking at her. She responded with a glare that had more anger and malice in it than Ryoga had ever seen before. This both frightened him and confused him.

Ryoga glanced up to Tofu after that, seeing that he was looking at him oddly as well.

Of course, Ryoga almost did a double take when he saw that Tofu had suddenly sprouted horns. Two long gold colored horns that came from just above his hairline and curved back down around his head.

"What's his problem?" Ryoga asked although he was kinda staring at Tofu's horns.

"I think that is quite obvious, Mr. Hibiki," Tofu said sternly.

"Oh..." Ryoga said, looking down, "_That_. I was hoping this was about something else."

"Yes, _that_," Tofu said.

"I had nothing to do with that," Ryoga told him.

"That has yet to be proven," Tofu said, "Gosonkugi."

"Um..." The frail man responded, "Yes?"

"Could you cast a spell to assure what Mr. Hibiki is about to say is the truth?" Tofu asked him.

"Oh, yes," Mr. Gosonkugi said, "I have just the spell for that."

Ryoga watched the frail looking made cast some sort of spell. For a small moment, the area nearby seemed to glow a blueish white for a moment.

"Now, Mr. Hibiki," Tofu said, "Explain."

Ryoga glanced between him and Mr. Gosonkugi. He then sighed.

"Look," Ryoga said, "The whole incident is something I'm not very proud to be affiliated with. Trust me, the werewolves who attacked that night would have killed me just as quickly as they killed the werecheetahs."

"And why is that?" Tofu asked, "And remember that you cannot lie within the confines of this spell."

Ryoga looked up at him at that.

"My family..." Ryoga said, "Well, we were exiled from the clan a few hundred years ago."

"Why?" Tofu asked sharply.

"Because of our directional curse," Ryoga told him, "And because of we didn't agree with most of the pack about the agreement made with the wererats. They were exiled, told that should any werewolf see then again that they would be killed on the spot as an example of how 'traitors' would be treated. You can tell us apart; my family is the only one with brown and gray fur."

"So your family sympathized with the werecheetahs," Tofu said, not as stern now as before.

"Well..." Ryoga said while looking around nervously, "We do, I guess. The whole matter leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It shamed my parents to know that our kin would do something like that. But we didn't have a chance to do anything. After the attack, the werewolf clan started to hunt us down. So we were forced to disappear."

"You got lost," Tofu supplied.

"Um... yeah," Ryoga said, "But we got separated from each other. The last thing I remember my parents deciding to do is to try and search out any werecheetah survivors. It was just before I met Ranma that they left."

"So you tracking down Ranma had nothing to do with him being a werecheetah?" Tofu asked.

"If I had known that he was a werecheetah I wouldn't of hated his guts so much," Ryoga said, looking down, "I guess his life has been a lot worse than I had thought. I thought he was just some huge jerk, now I just feel sorry for him."

"I don't need any pity, Ryoga," A singsong voice answered.

Ryoga turned to look to see Ranma standing there in full female werecheetah mode.

"Uh...?" Ryoga just looked confused and embarrassed.

"What?" Ranma asked.

"Wha...?" Ryoga asked, meekly pointing towards Ranma's chest.

Ranma looked down to realize her current state. She also discovered that in the struggle, a few buttons had popped out, revealing an ample amount of cleavage.

Ranma just crossed her arms in front of her, looking slightly embarrassed but still mostly pissed off.

"Ranma here is the owner of a Jusenkyo Curse," Tofu reported, "Depending on the temperature of water that is splashed upon him, he changes forms from male to female."

"A curse?" Ryoga asked, "So... you're really a girl?"

"I'm not a girl!" Ranma said loudly. She then faltered slightly, blushing slightly at her sudden loud outburst, "I... just get stuck with a girl body half the time."

"Where'd you get that?" Ryoga asked.

"China," Ranma told him simply.

She the paused.

"Ryoga..." She said, "Is what you said true? About how you're family didn't have anything to do with..."

She stopped, as she was forced to restrain her emotions.

"Rest assured, Ranma," Mr. Gosonkugi piped up, "It is nigh impossible to lie within a Zone of Truth spell."

Ryoga shook his head.

"Even though we were against it, we did have a part in it," Ryoga said, "It wasn't my family, but it was my people. I can understand if you hate me, Ranma. Hell, I'd be surprised if you didn't."

Ranma shook her head, "No, I don't. It takes a lot to make me hate someone, I guess. I trust Mr. Gosonkugi and Doctor Tofu, so I trust that what you said was true. Just... don't call me Ranma. My real name is Rhys."

Ryoga blinked. He then nodded after a few moments.

"Um..." Rhys piped up again, "Doc?"

"Yes?" Tofu asked.

"What's... um..." She said, pointing to her head, "What's with the horns?"

"Oh," Tofu smiled, "I was born with horns."

"But..." Rhys said, "Aren't you human?"

"Oh my, no," Tofu said, smirking, "Where did you get that idea?"

"But..." Rhys said, "I thought..."

"How do you think I know so much about werecreatures and magick?" Tofu said, "Like you, I disguise myself as human to blend in. In truth, I'm a dragon. A Gold Dragon to be exact."

"A what?" Rhys looked at him, shocked.

"Some dragons, Gold Dragons included," Tofu said, "Share a similar ability to your transformation ability. I can transform myself into pretty much any creature I want, but I rather like a more human form."

* * *

**Clinic Rooftop**

A small while later, Rhys found himself male and in human form standing on the roof of the clinic. From the vantage point, he could see for quite a distance. He heard someone come up behind him.

"So," Ryoga said, "Tofu said that your trying to find your little sister."

Rhys glanced at him. Ryoga was again in human form, but now Rhys could see several things about him that spoke of his more canine nature, including the pointy ears that every lycanthrope seemed to have in common.

"Yeah," Rhys said, "I'm lucky I bumped into Doc a few days ago. He's introduced me to people who've agreed to help me find her."

Ryoga didn't respond for a moment.

"Look," He said, "I'm sorry about..."

"Don't worry about it," Rhys stretched his arms, "I over reacted when I found out, but you didn't have nothing do to with it, so it's cool."

"Just to tell ya," Ryoga said, "I'll help if you want."

"Help me find her?" Rhys asked.

Ryoga nodded.

"How?" Rhys smirked, "You can't even find your way across the street."

"Shut up," Ryoga crossed his arms, making a sour expression.

"You're a wolf, right?" Rhys said, "Why don't you just use your nose to find your way around?"

"That only works if I'm in hybrid form," Ryoga told him, "And I can't just go around like that all the time."

"What about full wolf form?" Rhys asked.

"I'd lose all my stuff like that," Ryoga asked.

"Hmm..." Rhys thought for a moment, "Why not ask Mr. Gosonkugi?"

"Already did," Ryoga said, "He said that he might have an idea. He asked me about using my sense of smell to get around too. It works but I can't always rely on it."

"Well, I hope it works out for you," Rhys said.

"You too," Ryoga said, "I'm... gonna go ahead and leave for now. Get lost for a while and think."

"Alright," Rhys said, "See ya."

Rhys turned back towards the view of the city. From here, he could just barely see the night horizon. He listened as he heard Ryoga close the door to the roof behind him.

Rhys stood up there for several minutes thinking about what had transpired earlier in the clinic. It was only then that he realized their fight had torn apart at least three doors, two desks, and an examination bed.

He winced as he realized that.

* * *

**Clinic, Inside**

A small moment later, Rhys found his way back down into the clinic to see Tofu looking around the damaged part of the clinic.

"Um... sorry about trashing your clinic, Doc," Rhys said.

"Hmm?" Tofu turned to look at him. Rhys still faltered a small bit at seeing Tofu's horns, "Oh, Rhys. No, don't worry about it too much. Such are the risks of being a doctor."

"But..." Rhys said, "I feel kinda bad about it. I don't know how much those bed thingies cost. Must be expensive."

"Well, yes," Tofu looked at the ruined bed seriously, "But don't worry about having to pay for it. You know what they say; a dragon is never lacking money."

"Why's that?" Rhys asked.

"You don't know?" Tofu asked. Upon seeing Rhys shake his head, he continued, "Well... that's understandable considering your circumstances. Anyway, the most well known fact about dragons is that we all have a strange habit of collecting items of monetary wealth; be it gold, paintings, gems, and other such bobble. I myself have a small cave along Japanese coast that I use to store my own personal 'horde'. I imagine I could buy most of Japan if I truly wanted too."

"M-most of Japan?" Rhys looked shocked, "Damn, how much money do you have!?"

"Hmm..." Tofu thought for a while, putting his hand to his chin, which made Rhys aware that the Doctor also now had claws, "If you include the magickal items I have, I believe my last estimate was a few hundred trillion yen. Of course, without those items, it is considerably less. Maybe a two hundred billion yen. I'll have to get another estimate soon, I have acquired a few more things... hmm..."

Rhys just stood there shocked as Tofu started thinking to himself and mumbling occasionally.

"A..." Rhys said, "A few hundred_ trillion_ yen!?"

"Hm?" Tofu turned to him as if he had forgotten that he was there, "Oh yes, pardon me, I do get a bit absentminded when I think about it. Yes, but that estimate is only if I found a dealer that could appreciate and purchase the magickal items. Most mundane people would only see them as exotic things, not exotic things that have supernatural powers."

"If you're so rich, why are you a doctor in a such a small clinic?" Rhys asked.

"Although I find my riches most comfortable, I've found that I rather like living a humble life here in Nerima," Tofu said, "Something interesting is always happening around here. And as a Gold Dragon, I want to guide the people of Nerima, even from the position of a friendly neighborhood doctor."

"Gees," Rhys said, "How many people in Nerima aren't human? Are the Tendo's anything weird?"

"No," Tofu told him, "The Tendo family is a human one."

"Hmph," Rhys said, "I woulda thought they had a titan or something in their genes after seeing how strong Akane can hit."

"Akane always was the one to get in trouble," Tofu remarked, "She took their mothers death the hardest. Please, do not think of her as a bad person."

"I don't," Rhys said quickly, "I just don't like her very much. She didn't make the very best first impression."

"How's that?" Tofu asked.

"We had gotten into an argument about something or other," Rhys waved his hand absentmindedly, "And she came back with a remark about how my parents left me on the doorstep of a orphanage."

Tofu looked surprised for a small moment.

"W-well," He said nervously, "S-she does tend to say things without thinking first."

"Nah, I've forgiven her about that," Rhys told him, "Mostly because I flipped out and said some pretty bad things myself."

"All this talk of the Tendo's reminds me of something," Tofu said, "It's almost 1am. You should hurry back home."

It took Rhys a small moment to register that small tidbit of information.

"Ah damn!" he yelled, "I have school tomorrow! I gotta go! See ya, Doc!"

Tofu waved as Rhys tore ass out of the clinic, rustling around the debris a small bit.

Tofu looked at the damage.

"It's times like this that I'm glad dragons don't have to sleep that much."

* * *

_Note: I've actually started to merge the Gold Digger theme of this story with a Dungeons and Dragons style story. They already have a large list of similarities. For example, I don't know if the Zone of Truth spell exists in Gold Digger, but in DnD it's a Sorcerer/Wizard spell. Also, I don't know squat about the dragons in Gold Digger, so I'm basing it entirely off of the DnD Dragons. Gold Dragons are noble natured fire breathers who live for perhaps a few thousand years and yes they can Polymorph into human form._

_Just for your information though, it is technically possible to tell a lie within a Zone of Truth, but only if your character has a Will score high enough to overcome it. I will now explain in DnD terms that most of you will not understand._

_A spell such as Zone of Truth allows each person effected by it a Will Save, which is done by rolling a d20 (A dice with 20 sides) and adding the resulting number to your characters Will Modifier. So if you roll a 12 and have a +7 Will Modifier, you end up with a result of 19. This is your Will Save. However, the number at which your save has to be over to over come the spell, called the Check, is determined by the spell caster. You use the formula (10 + Ability Modifier + Spell Level) to determine the DC of the check, or the number that you must overcome with your save. Zone of Truth is a fairly high level spell, maybe a Lv5 spell. Now, a Sorcerer uses their Charisma to cast spells. Say, a Sorcerer has a Charisma Score of 17, making his Modifier a +3. This is found by taking his score (17), subtracting ten (7), dividing that by half (3.5), and rounding down (3). This would make the formula read (10 + 3 + 5), meaning the DC would be an 18. Since the character rolled a 19 Will Check, he passes the DC and is able to lie all he wants while within the Zone of Truth._


	10. Ch9  Samurai Pizza Cats!

* * *

Chapter Nine: Samurai Pizza Cats! 

* * *

**The Next Mornin' (wikki wikki)**

"You got home late," Nabiki noted as a tired Ranma walked into the room.

"Eh," he said, plopping down at the table. He leaned back onto his arm and almost fell asleep in the few seconds before Kasumi placed breakfast on the table.

The breakfast ritual woke him up a small bit. Fending Genma away from his food wasn't too terribly difficult but it was a nuisance.

"What were you doing last night anyway?" Nabiki asked.

"I was at Tofu's," Ranma said simply.

"...And what were you doing at a clinic?" Nabiki asked.

"Didn't Akane tell you?" Kasumi said as she sat down, "Ranma was knocked unconscious after a fight with another young man yesterday. Akane made sure both of them got to the clinic."

"Oh," Nabiki said, turning back to Ranma, "So you lost a fight."

"You lost a fight!?" Genma suddenly howled.

"No, I didn't lose a fight!" Ranma said loudly, mostly at Genma.

"Oh the shame!" Genma said, "My own son!"

"I'm not your damn son, ya old bastard!" Ranma yelled, scoring a powerful punch to Genma's face, causing him to fly out of the door and into the koi pond.

Silence prevailed for a few moments.

"Someones a little grumpy," Nabiki idly remarked.

"Oh, shut up," Ranma said.

"Don't tell my sister to shut up, you pervert!" Akane yelled.

"Damnit, this again?" Ranma mumbled low to himself. The only one to hear it was actually the only person listening to him and not the raging Akane, Nabiki. Ranma then almost slammed him head into the table in aggravation and defeat.

Luckily, him moving his head caused Akane to miss horribly with her huge mallet. She almost tripped as a result, but she managed to let go of the 'demon hammer' before she did. This caused the hammer to fly through the door and over towards the koi pond, where it soundly hit a slowly recovering Panda squarely in the head, knocking him back into the koi pond.

Ranma looked up to see this.

"Maybe today won't be so bad," He mumbled hopefully.

* * *

**Furinkan**

The rest of the morning wasn't that bad in all actuality. It was only around lunch that the seemingly normal day turned weird.

Ranma found himself walking across the school courtyard towards the large tree that he normally ate under. As normal, some of the other students were watching him intently, including one Nabiki Tendo from the third story window.

Ranma sat down by the tree and pulled out the bento that Kasumi had made earlier that morning. He picked up a rice ball from within it and started to eat it.

The peaceful day was suddenly split open by a large crashing sound. Most of the students yelped and scrambled away as a section of the school outer wall came crashing downward. Ranma, however, didn't flinch as the wall toppled almost right next to him.

He listened as the sound of footsteps started to race towards him.

"Ranma-cat!" A voice called out.

"Ugh," Ranma sighed, "Why do you call me that, Shampoo?"

"Because," The purple haired Chinese girl said, "Is what Ranma-cat is."

"Hmph," Ranma shook his head, "What are you doing in Japan anyway?"

"Shampoo come for Airen," Shampoo said leaning down close to him.

"I told you, I'm not going to marry you," Ranma said, "The old ghoul said that it didn't count."

"But..." Shampoo said sadly. Ranma looked up at her.

"You didn't come all this way just for that," Ranma noted, "You're looking for Genma, aren't you."

Shampoo sat down next to him.

"Yes," She said, "Must be punished. Plus, Great Grandmother said trying to catch sneaky panda is good training. Sneaky panda very tricky to track."

"The old fool is pretty good at hiding," Ranma said, "So your on a training trip."

Shampoo nodded.

"Shampoo wanted to see Ranma-cat while in area," Shampoo told him, "Ranma-cat is very good training partner."

"Come on, Shampoo," Ranma said, "Don't call me that, people'll think it's weird."

"Okay," Shampoo said, smiling, "But Shampoo think it cute name."

"Yeah, 'cute'," Ranma noted.

It was at that moment that someone came running over to them. Ranma looked up to see that it was a exhausted and panicked looking Gosonkugi. Ranma raised an eyebrow as Gosonkugi got up to them only to trip and slam face first into the ground.

"Uh... you okay?" Ranma asked.

"Who this?" Shampoo asked.

"Oh, this is Hikaru Gosonkugi," Ranma told her. "Hey, Gosonkugi, wake up."

Gosonkugi lifted his head up, looking at them seemingly hurt but fine.

"Ranma! I have to tell you..." Gosonkugi stopped as he saw Shampoo, "W-who's this?"

"This is Xian Pu," Ranma said.

"Is she...?" Gosonkugi asked.

"She's cool," Ranma told him.

"Oh, okay," Gosonkugi nodded before somehow going strait back into full on panic mode, "Ranma! I have to tell you something!"

"What?" Ranma asked.

Gosonkugi moved closer and said something very quietly as so only Ranma and Shampoo could hear him.

* * *

Up in the third story window, Nabiki Tendo held a small object within her hand. It was a small listening device she used when she wanted to listen to people a long way away and there weren't any bugs nearby. The tree was almost out of its range though, so their voices weren't totally clear. Whatever Gosonkugi whispered was too low for her to hear, but it definitely got a reaction.

* * *

"What?!" Ranma said, "No shit!?"

"Yes!" Gosonkugi said, "I came to tell you as soon as I could!"

Ranma tore into action, leaving his bento spinning in the air behind him. Shampoo and Gosonkugi simply blinked as they saw Ranma leap clear over the courtyard wall going unbelievably fast.

* * *

**A Little Less That a Minute Later**

Tofu turned as he heard the door to the clinic opened loudly. He then blinked as Rhys zipped up to him.

"Ah..." Tofu paused to collect himself, "I see that you got the message. Follow me."

Rhys anxiously followed the Doctor back into the rear of the building. Tofu kept talking as they walked.

"We found her not to far away when Gosonkugi started to scry earlier today," Tofu said, "She was in pretty bad shape. We've seen at least two silver burns and she was very fatigued."

"Is she okay?" Rhys asked.

"She will be," Tofu nodded, "The fatigue will go away naturally and there are several ways to treat a silver burn. But I do want to tell you one thing."

"What?" Rhys asked as Tofu stopped in front of a closed door.

"I do not believe that she is your sister," Tofu said, "She is most definitely a werecheetah, but she is also most definitely Japanese."

Rhys deflated and sighed.

"Do not worry," Tofu said, "When we found her, we discovered that it is indeed possible to scry and find your sister magickally. Now, it is only a matter of time."

Rhys nodded.

Tofu then opened the door.

The first thing Rhys saw was Mr. Gosonkugi's back. The conversation between him at whoever else was in there stopped as the door opened. Gosonkugi looked back at them, stepping to the side to allow Rhys to see the other person in the room.

The girl sitting on the examination bed looked up at him with a tired expression. She had golden hair that was held back by a white bow hair band. She wore a short purple gi with a black belt over a light blue shirt and a pair of loose black pants.

Rhys instantly felt that this girl was extremely familiar, but he couldn't place it. Surely he would have known if he had met another werecheetah before now.

The girl, however, instantly seemed to recognize him. He face twisted into a look that was both angry and sad at the same time. It looked like it took all of her strength to move as she lunged at him.

The slow punch was easily dodged, but Rhys had to act quick as the girl tripped over her own feet and stumbled forward. Rhys moved in to catch her.

"Y-you..." She said weakly, "Y-you bastard..."

Rhys was obviously quite confused. He wanted to say something, but he was instantly tongue-tied. This inability to do anything increase substantially when the girl started to cry.

Y-you bastard..." She said softly, "Ran-chan..."

Rhys's heart suddenly fell into his stomach as he heard that. He breathed in sharply.

"U-Ukyo?"

* * *

**Clinic, Waiting Room**

Rhys sat in the waiting room, his mind going in circles about how one of his childhood friends had suddenly shown up again as a werecheetah. He was absolutely sure she had been human before.

His thoughts were always drawn back to the that night in the subway when he found out that it was possible for werecreatures to inflict Lycanthropy onto other people by scratching them. That was the only reason he could think of as to why Ukyo was now of the same species as him.

He looked up as he heard a door open and then close from down the hallway. Doctor Tofu came into view shortly thereafter.

"How is she?" Rhys asked.

"Asleep," Tofu told him, "At the moment, I'm more concerned about you."

"It..." Rhys said, "It's my fault. It has to be. I..."

"Stop," Tofu said, fixing his glasses, "Before you go on a spree of blaming yourself I want you to tell me how you two met."

Rhys looked up at him.

"It..." Rhys thought, "It was back when I was about six or seven. Genma had stopped in the town where Ukyo lived and we became friends. Her family are all chefs and martial artists, mainly cooking Okonomiyaki. We used to spar together."

"And when was it that you first transformed?" Tofu asked, sitting down across from him.

Rhys thought for a small bit.

"Just a few days before, I think," He said, "But I don't understand how I could of infected her. I almost never transformed back then and I don't remember ever scratching her."

"Hmm," Tofu thought for a moment.

It was at that time that an auburn haired man walked into the door. Tofu and Rhys both looked up at him.

"Ah, Hiro," Tofu said, "Just in time."

"I hurried over a soon as I could," Hiro said, "The missus had me taking care of the young'uns. I heard that we have a little situation concernin' a cheetah."

Tofu nodded.

"It seems that she and Rhys know each other from their childhood," Tofu said, "We believe that Rhys might of inflicted her with Lycanthropy but he does not remember transforming around her nor scratching her. Is there any other way of inflicting someone?"

"Oh yeah," Hiro said, "Scratchin' is just the fastest and the most common as its easy to do accidentally and it only takes about two weeks for someone to change. Biting works, but that only takes maybe a day or two to kick in."

"I don't remember biting her either," Rhys said.

"Hmm..." Hiro asked, "Was there any occurrence where she came in contact with your blood?"

Rhys thought about that for a moment.

He then nodded.

"Genma tried teaching me the neko-ken at the same time I met her," Rhys said, "One time Ukyo found me after I had gotten out of the pit and I was pretty cut up. She helped me bandage myself up."

"Did she have any open wounds herself?" Hiro asked.

"Uh..." Rhys said, "No... I don't think so, why?"

"Someone can become a Lycanthrope if any werecreature blood is introduced into their own," Hiro said, "It's slow. Very slow, maybe even takin' a few years. But it also is the only way to inflict someone without cursing them to have to follow your demands."

"Do you believe that is how it happened?" Tofu asked.

"Sounds like it," Hiro said, "To be sure, we'd have to check her over. The mark where the infliction was introduced should be visible as a pale scar on their humans forms."

Tofu then stood up and nodded to Hiro. He then walked back down the hallway and into the room where Ukyo slept.

Hiro glanced over to Rhys. Rhys continued to sit there hunched over.

"Don't fret, kid," Hiro said, "It was an accident."

"But you haven't seen her," Rhys said, "She looked miserable and Doc even said she had a few silver burns. It looked like it completely ruined her life."

Hiro paused for a moment.

"Look, kid," He said, "Beating yourself up for something you had no control over isn't going to get you anywhere. If she looks like that, all you can do is try to make it up to her."

* * *

**Tendo Residence**

"Where is that boy?" Genma mumbled angrily, staring down at the shoji table, "Hmph, skipping out on spending time with his fiance..."

"I agree," Soun said, "'Tis such a shame."

"Ranma disappeared at lunch," Nabiki said, "One of the other students told him something and he split."

"Hmmm..." Genma mumbled, "What is that boy doing?"

"Oh, and he also had another visitor," Nabiki said, "Some purple headed girl with a Chinese accent. Do you know...?"

She stopped as she realized that Genma had vanished. Soun was looking up at the back door which had suddenly opened. The game piece he had been holding clacked down onto the wooden table.

Nabiki raised an eyebrow at the unexpected reaction.

* * *

**Clinic**

Rhys sat there with his face in his hands, his mind still going in circles. He wasn't sulking the same as before, as now he was straining to try and think of a way to try and make it up to her. Nothing came to mind.

Tofu had gone and checked Ukyo and, sure enough, there was a small pale scar on top of her wrist on her left arm. Hiro, after discussing this with Tofu, had left to get back to his wife, who he said was probably livid at the moment. He had mentioned that he hoped explaining the situation would calm her down. Soon after that, Gosonkugi had left, saying that he would get back to scrying right away. Tofu himself had to get back to work, telling Rhys that he could wait here for her to awake if he wanted.

And so Rhys found himself sitting the waiting room alone. The entire room seemed eerily quiet.

It has started to rain about an hour ago and occasionally thunder could be heard off in the distance. All this did was to further deepen Rhys' depression.

He didn't even look up as he heard footsteps coming towards the waiting room. It was probably just Tofu or one of the patients leaving. The footsteps came to a stop after a few moments. Rhys still didn't look up.

"Ranma," A girls voice came.

Rhys instantly looked up to see Ukyo standing there. He quickly stood up and stepped up to her, but stopped after that. Even now, he still couldn't think of anything to say.

"Ukyo...," He said.

"Doctor Tofu..." She said, "Told me everything. About how this happened."

"Ukyo," Rhys said, "I'm sorry."

Ukyo didn't say anything for a small while. She then shook her head.

"D..." She paused, closing her eyes, "Don't be... It was an accident... right?"

"Of course it was," Rhys said, "I... I would never... I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you."

Ukyo smiled slightly, but it went away after a few moments.

"I..." Ukyo said, "I always knew it was you... That it was because of you that this happened."

Rhys looked down at the floor, sighing.

"I'm sorry," He said, "I musta ruined your life..."

Ukyo didn't respond.

"No," She said, "Even... even knowing this would happen... you... you were hurt. I couldn't just left you there. B-but..."

She swallowed as a single tear fell down her face. Seeing this, Rhys' shoulders wilted.

"I..." She said, "My father..."

She idly rubbed one of the areas that Rhys could see was bandaged because of the silver burns. She then shook her head.

"Th-that doesn't matter," She said, looking back up at him, smiling, "I... I've missed you, Ran-chan."

"Heh," Rhys said, "Call me Rhys, 's my true name. And... I missed you too, Ucchan."

* * *

_Scry (v) "Scry": Method of magickally locating and observing things or people over great distances and sometimes even through time, although there are ways of making something invisible to scrying and also ways to tell if you are being scryed upon._

_Okonomiyaki (n) "Oh-koh-no-me-ya-key": Japanese pizza that is grilled instead of baked._

_Cheap Labor (n) "Che-peh Lay-bor" : Sunshine filled happy muffin cakes!_


	11. Ch10  Secrets

* * *

Chapter Ten: Secrets

* * *

**Tofu's Clinic**

"Where are you staying Ukyo?" Rhys asked.

"Staying?" Ukyo looked at him.

"Yeah," Rhys looked at her, "I mean, you got anywhere to go?"

Silence prevailed over the small rooftop for a small moment. The two werecheetahs had escaped there a small while ago and had been having a small conversation. First it had been just catching up with each other, then it diverged into Rhys explaining how the whole werecheetah thing. That had ended up with both of them sitting on Tofu's roof in hybrid form.

Rhys might not say it, but it was about damn time he saw a cute werecheetah girl. He might not have a liking for humans girls, but werecheetah girls are a totally different story.

Plus, humans are so... short. Hell, he's at least three feet taller than Akane when he was in hybrid form.

"Actually," Ukyo said, "Tofu offered to let me stay here for a while. At least until I can get on my feet again."

"Awesome," Rhys said, "Thats a lot better than you staying at the Tendo dojo. Genma and Soun would flip."

"Huh?" Ukyo asked, "Aren't _you_ staying there?"

"Yeah," Rhys looked down, idly rubbing the back of his neck, "They'd flip if they saw me anywhere near any female other than Akane."

"W-what?" Ukyo looked confused and slightly concerned, "Why is that?"

"They had the nerve to engage me to her," Rhys said.

"E-engaged?" Ukyo looked at him with a strangely afraid look.

Rhys' ears perked when he heard the concern in her voice. He looked at her to see her expression.

"What is it?" Rhys asked.

"I... um..." Ukyo said, blushing and twiddling her fingers, "You... do know that we're... um... that we're supposed to be engaged too... right?"

Rhys blinked.

"What?" He asked, kinda astonished.

"Never mind," Ukyo said, looking down sadly, a few tears in her eyes, "It was stupid of me to bring that up. It would never happen anyway now that you're engaged to someone else."

Rhys almost immediately went into panic mode. He had always been a huge softy for girls when they were crying.

"W-what?!" he said, loudly, "I would never marry Akane!"

Ukyo looked up at him.

"You mean...?" She asked, a small glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Akane's a raging psychopath!" Rhys said, "She's got the grip of a gorilla and the personality of a hornet! She randomly explodes in anger and is constantly trying to beat the shit out of me with a giant hammer!"

Ukyo giggled slightly at the sight before her. Rhys was waving his arms around wildly and yelling quite loudly. It was really quite funny to watch.

Rhys stopped flailing around when he heard her giggle. He looked back at her to see that she was smiling a weak smile.

"Besides," Rhys said, without really thinking about it, "I'd much rather be engaged to a cute werecheetah girl than an insane homicidal girl."

Ukyo's smile after that wasn't so weak.

* * *

**Tendo Dojo**

It wasn't until very late at night that Ranma returned to the Tendo Dojo. He stood there for a small moment, staring at the front door, hoping no one was still awake.

It wouldn't have been any problem if he could go around in hybrid form. With his enhanced sense of smell and hearing he could have easily been able to tell where everyone was in the small complex. But no, he was again stuck in human form.

He sighed, deciding that he'd better just go in and face the possibility that someone could be awake.

He slowly entered the room, trying to be as silent as possible; which was pretty silent really.

Ranma slowly made his way towards the stairs, until...

"Where have you been?" A voice called out from his left.

Ranma froze for a small moment before turning to look towards the living room, where the voice had come from. He saw Nabiki sitting there with reading a magazine and drinking a canned drink.

Ranma perked an eyebrow at the sight.

"Were you waiting up for me or something?" He asked.

"Yep," Nabiki smirked, "You tore off in such a rush during lunch. I was just worried about you."

Ranma just leveled an annoyed look at her.

"Oh, come on," Nabiki said, "You don't think I'm completely heartless, do you?"

Ranma just shook his head and sighed.

"Whadda ya want, Nabiki?" He asked.

"Just to know where you keep running off to," Nabiki said, "It isn't good that the man that is to be my brother-in-law keeps disappearing at random times."

"It isn't any of your business, Tendo," Ranma looked at her with an angry glance. He noticed that Nabiki flinched. It wasn't a big one; it was barely noticible; but it was a flinch. Something had her spooked.

"Suit yourself," She said after recovering almost instantly, "I'll just ask that Gosonkugi boy tomorrow at school."

"You wouldn't," Ranma turned to face her completely, "He's already hyper-paranoid, if you go up and start interrogating him, he'd have a freakin' heart attack."

"Then you'll just have to tell me so I don't have to interrogate him," Nabiki smirked a menacing smirk.

"You love to play dirty, don't you?" Ranma glared at her, "Someday that's gonna come back to bite you on the ass, you know."

"I don't have the foggiest idea what you're talking about Ranma," Nabiki said sarcastically, "But back to the point, where have you been disappearing off to as of recently?"

Ranma sighed.

"Fine," He said, "If you're truly set on being nosey... I've been try to find my sister, okay?"

"A sister?" Nabiki asked, trying to act surprised, although she looked more smug than surprised, "I didn't know you had a sister."

"We were separated when we were kids, okay?" Ranma said, "But going by that smug look on your face, you already knew that."

"Hmm...," Nabiki said, "True."

"Stay out of my business, Tendo," Ranma said, looking at her with a rather threatening look.

"Now now, Saotome," Nabiki said, keeping her cool, "No need to bring out the guns, I'm just making sure your not getting involved with anything that could endanger us. For all I know you could be running off to do jobs for the Yakuza or something."

"I'm not involved with the Yakuza or anything," Ranma sighed in aggravation, "Now what else have you learned about me by going behind my back?"

"Tut tut, Ranma," Nabiki wagged her finger, "It wouldn't be fun if I told you something like that even if I did know something else."

Ranma noticed something right then as Nabiki wagged her finger in front of her. A blue glow was coming from her wrist. Looking a small bit harder, he saw that Nabiki had on several silver bracelets on both arms and at least three silver necklaces of different lengths.

Ranma narrowed his gaze at her.

"Those are nice bracelets," He said.

"Hmm?" Nabiki asked, confused for a moment. She looked down at the bracelets she was wearing. She then looked back up towards Ranma only to see that he wasn't there anymore.

Nabiki glanced around, not finding any trace of the blonde haired martial artist.

"Oh man," Nabiki said quietly.

* * *

Ranma slowly closed the door behind him. He had managed to retreat somewhere where he knew Nabiki would never look.

Even if it was just the roof to the building she lived in. I mean, who would ever look for someone on the roof?

Ranma sat there, thinking as hard as he could.

**Fact: **Nabiki was sneaky. Very sneaky. A lot sneakier than he was.

**Fact: **Nabiki knew about him having a sister. The only people who knew that were Tofu, Gosonkugi, Hiro, and possibly Ukyo.

**Fact: **Nabiki had been wearing at least two pounds of silver. He had never even so much as seen the girl wear a small pair of silver earrings. She seemed way too much of a penny pincher to spend any money on jewelry.

**Conclusion: **She had listened in on one of the meetings where they had not only talked about his sister, but also about his species.

**Note: **That was a very bad thing.

**Ergo: **That also means that she might know about the others as well. That meant that he wasn't the only one in hot water at the moment.

Too bad that Ranma, being extremely tired, fell asleep only a few seconds later.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Ranma was walking down the street towards Furinkan the next morning looking horrible. The shingles on the roof weren't the most comfortable things to sleep on and since no one could find him, he didn't have time to eat breakfast.

So, all in all, his back hurt like holy hell and he was starving. Of course, the back ache was fixed simply by shifting into hybrid form to let his healing fix it in a matter or seconds. However, the two quick transformations had made him even more hungry.

The only good things that had happened so far this morning was that Akane couldn't find him to try and hit him into the horizon and that he didn't have to encounter Nabiki.

However, this also meant that he was late for school. Hopefully he could get to first period before it started.

As he neared Furinkan he noticed someone else coming up to the gates just as quickly as he was. He skidded to a halt at the gates to see that the other person was doing the same.

"H-hi, Ran-chan!" The young girl said as she stopped.

"Ukyo?" Ranma looked at her confused. This was when he noticed what she was wearing, a school girls uniform. This, coupled with the fact that Ranma had never seen Ukyo wear anything even remotely feminine, caused him to stare at her.

"Wh-what?" She asked, looking at the martial artists in confusion.

Ranma blinked.

"O-oh, nothin'!" He blushed, "Y-you just surprised me! I've never seen you... um... wearing something like that."

Ukyo blushed after he said that, but smile and looked down. She spun from side to side a small bit, causing her skirt to twirl around her a small bit.

"You like it?" She asked.

"Y-yeah!" He blurted out before he could stop himself, "Um... I mean..."

Ukyo just laughed for a small moment.

"Anyway," She said, "We should get inside before we're even more late."

"You go to Furinkan?" Ranma asked as he and she began to walk into the courtyard.

* * *

**Lunch**

Things had gone along swimmingly (rather poorly) for the first part of the day at Furinkan. Ranma and Ukyo's tardiness earned them bucket duty, although it was easily handled.

After that, Ukyo was pestered by the other student because her hair color matched Ranma's. Akane had been the worst. She hadn't flipped just yet, but she had been boiling with red, hot, and very angry ki the entire time. Ukyo and Ranma had, because of this, separated from each other so as not to inadvertently make things worse. Luckily, even in human form, their hearing was still kinda astute. Whispering allowed them to talk to each other if no one else was currently talking or doing anything loud.

Although the sound of Akane constantly grinding her teeth did get in the way sometimes.

Lunch came far too slowly for both of them... especially Ranma. His hungry woe was only then deepened when he realized that he had left without getting lunch from Kasumi. Even deeper it grew when he noticed he didn't have any money to perhaps buy a sandwich from the food machines.

However, Ukyo had come up to him as he wallowed in his eternal pit of sadness and despair. A pleasant scent came to him.

"Here you go, Ran-chan!" Ukyo said as she held something down for him.

"Is this...?" Ranma took it and opened it.

"Yep!" Ukyo said, "My special okonomiyaki! It might not be as fresh as you're used to, though, I made it this morning and brought it with me."

"Wow!" Ranma said, "Thanks Uc-chan!"

Ranma was just about to tear into the okonomiyaki with full gusto when...

"Ranma..." A low growling voice came from behind them.

Both of the werecheetahs slowly turned to look at the source of said growling, both thinking that it had to be some huge evil demon that had come from the depths of the earth to devour their very souls.

But it was just Akane.

"Um..." Ranma said, taking a bite of the pizza, "What's up, Akane?"

"Ranma..." Akane said as a huge mallet appeared in her hand, she raised it over her head. "PERVERT! Hanging around with some floozy!"

"Floozy?" Ukyo asked, narrowing her eyes.

The mallet slammed into the ground where Ranma had been only seconds earlier. Akane lifted it quickly after not feeling her hammer impact anything before the ground.

"You should work on making your swing faster," Ranma chimed in a second later.

Akane, now filled with even more 'rightious' fury, let loose a huge roar as she swung the hammer at him again, this time going for a horizontal blow.

Ranma simply stepped forward and brought up his forearm.

His arm hit the handle of the hammer just a few inches below where it connected with the hammer. It stung a small bit, but it was rather easy to stop it cold.

However, the main reason why he did as such was, since the head of the hammer contained so much more mass than the simple hammer, it did NOT stop as easily. This caused the head to break off and go flying into the wall that surrounded the school, easily knocking it down.

"You could at least look before you jump to conclusions," Ranma said as he bit into the pizza again.

"I know what you were doing!" Akane yelled still clutching the long wooden handle, "You were hitting on some floozy!"

"I'm not a floozy!" Ukyo yelled at her.

"Then why are you giving him food!?" Akane yelled back.

"We're old friends, that's why!" Ukyo yelled back.

"Yeah right," Akane said, "More like bump buddies!"

Ranma, at this point, saw that he had to intervene. He placed a hand on Ukyo's shoulder to calm her down. Ukyo hadn't been aware that she was growling loudly. She also didn't have enough control over her form to keep from accidentally changing when she got really pissed or to ward off their feline instinct to tear something they don't like to shreds.

Ukyo glanced at Ranma, who just looked at her. Ukyo looked down for a moment, embarrassed. She, after a few moments looked up with a menacing look in her eyes. She then latched her arms around Ranma.

"What are you doing!?" Akane yelled out.

"Is it a crime to hug your fiancé?" Ukyo said in a bubbly voice.

Ranma just stood there, chuckling nervously and scratching the back of his neck. But he also wasn't trying to get away from her. And he was blushing severely.

The entire school yard went silent.

The only real person who didn't react with total shock was Nabiki, who was watching the entire thing from a nearby third story window. She had managed to get the vice principle to reassign her classes to this room because it offered the best vantage point for overhearing gossip out in the courtyard.

Ah, blackmail... how we love you so dearly...

Anyway, back to Nabiki.

"Another fiancé?" She mumbled, "And she has blonde spotted hair... that means she's just like him..."

"You... say something, Nabiki?" A girl nearby asked.

Nabiki turned to her.

"No, nothing," She said, "Just thinking aloud..."

Back to the action...

"Fiancé!?" Akane yelled, "But I'm his fiancé! He's MINE!"

Ranma rolled his eyes.

"Like he would ever marry a gorilla like you," Ukyo said in a singsong voice, "Isn't that right, Ran-chan."

"No comment," he said, looking off.

"Oh, you...!" Ukyo puffed up angrily at him.

Ranma just chuckled nervously.

"So..." Another voice came in, "To think that even one so low such as you couldn't be faithful even in your most unholy and evil act."

Ranma went from nervous to extremely annoyed almost instantly.

"What do you want, Kuno?" Ranma said without even turning towards him.

"To injure the fierce tigress Akane's heart..." Kuno said, pulling his wooden sword, "I SHALL NOT ALLOW IT!"

WAP! KPOW!

And Kuno's face hit the ground.

Ranma just looked at him with a bored expression on his face. He then looked back to Ukyo and smirked. Ukyo smiled as well. Ranma then took another bite of the okonomiyaki.

However, both of their smiles were dashed to the winds as a large quantity of cold water suddenly drenched Ranma from behind, leaving behind a petite blond haired girl where he once stood.

"What was that for!?" Ranma yelled at Akane.

"Hmph," Akane muttered as she dropped the bucket that was in her hand, "Who would want to marry a gender switching freak like you anyway."

"Oh, and it's not like you don't have a few freaky things about you, huh gorilla fist!" Ranma shouted back.

"Why you...!" Akane yelled at her.

Throughout this, Ukyo stood there, very much stunned at how Ranma suddenly became a well developed and petite girl.

"BAKA!" Akane had managed to pull yet another hammer out of nowhere and tried to slam it down on top of Ranma. She only barely missed this time. The next few swings were equally as close. She had so much red hot angry Ki strengthening her it was like standing near an open oven.

Of course, Ranma's constant taunting wasn't helping the situation.

"Gorilla fist!" She taunted, "I could knit a sweater before you could hit me!"

And with the pure white hot fury that is known as the slightly deranged and psychotic girl name Akane Tendo, the mallet seemed to burst into flames. Although the speed of the hammer didn't change, its bulk did, becoming so impossibly huge that Ranma couldn't dodge it. His speed only allowed him to get far enough to only get clipped by the monstrosity.

However, that was just enough to cause him to fly across the school yard going an insane speed. He impacted the wall with a hard crash. The wall fell down around him as he was nearly covered in rubble.

This managed to make Ukyo snap out of it. She quickly looked over to where Ranma went.

"Ran-Chan!" She said as she quickly made a bee-line for the place that he impacted the wall. Several people almost fell over because of how fast she moved across the yard.

"Damn!" Hiroshi said as he sat up, "She's a fast as Saotome!"

Ukyo quickly dropped down to look at the rather dazed werecheetah. Luckily, the people had evacuated the area encase Akane wasn't finished with him.

"Ran-chan," She said, "Are you okay?"

"Uh...?" Ranma blicked a few times, "Y-yeah. Just caught me off guard."

"Oh..." Ukyo exhaled, "You had me worried."

"Nah, don't worry," Ranma said, "Not like she could really hurt me anyway."

"But that hit blew you all the way across the field!" Ukyo asked.

"Doesn't matter," Ranma said, "As long as that mallet ain't magickal or silver, I don't gotta worry about nothing she does. It'll just heal."

"But I thought the healing doesn't work in human form."

"N-not as fast," Ranma groaned as she stood up, "Damnit, I only got to eat half that pizza..."

* * *

_Next Time: The crazy stuff that surrounds both Ranma and Gold Digger will come into full force. It will be happy happy fun shiny good time. It's not only fun and good, its shiny and has twice the amount of happiness!_


	12. Ch11  Happi Friday

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Happi Friday 

* * *

**Back in Nerima, Tendo Residence**

"Oh, hello Ranma," Kasumi said as the younger Saotome entered the abode.

"Hey, Kasumi," Ranma said, "Sorry I'm so late, I had some stuff I needed to do."

"I managed to hide a small bit of dinner from the others," Kasumi said, "It should be in the back of the freezer."

"Sweet!" Ranma said as he quickly made a bee-line towards the freezer. It was only a small while later that he was sitting down enjoying a only slightly less than fresh home cooked meal.

It was at that moment, that Genma and Soun came tearassing into the room with backpacks akimbo. They swooped around behind Ranma, scooping him up as they then made a mad dash towards the door.

"H-hey!" Ranma yelled out, "What the hell has gotten into you two!?"

"No time to explain now, boy!" Genma yelled, "We've got to get away! FAR AWAY!"

Ranma groaned a small bit before he slammed his fist into Genma's head with enough force to bring him to the floor. Ranma slipped out of his grasp and onto his feet.

"What the hell are you blabbing about, ya old bastard!?" He yelled.

"We've got to get away!" Genma repeated, "Before... before _he_ gets here."

Genma saying that made Soun start to panic even more.

"'He'?" Ranma asked, "Who the hell is 'he'?"

"Mwahahaha!" A cracked and elderly voice came, "What a haul! What a haul!!!"

"Aiiie!!!" Soun shrieked a cry so shrill that it made Ranma feel like his ears were beginning to bleed, "Th-th-th-th-the M-m-m-m-master!!!"

At that exact moment, a diminutive figure leap over the outer wall of the Tendo Residence. Genma and Soun cowered away from the small creature pathetically. Ranma scoffed in simple amusement as he saw the terror in Genma's eyes. Soun, however, seemed near the point of passing out. Ranma didn't have a deep and intense hatred of the man, so his terror wasn't amusing; it was simply confusing. He turned back to the figure to see what it was that had them so spooked.

A man of relatively the same high as the only other two foot tall old fart that he knew stood there, a huge bag perched upon his shoulder. He had a sickeningly gleeful look on his face. Tucked in his belt was a long pipe.

The man laughed there for a few more moments, seemingly lost in his own little world. He was only snapped out of it when he noticed the area around him go dim. He looked up to see Ranma standing over him, looking down at him questioningly.

"What are you looking at!?" He yelled up at the boy.

"Who the hell are you?" Ranma asked.

"Insolent boy!" The small troll yelled, whipping his pipe from his belt. He then proceeded to twirl it around quickly before he sent it out towards Ranma at blinding speed. He happened to notice Ranma's eyes glint for a brief moment as the pipe raced towards him.

Ranma was a werecheetah and was therefore hyper-fast. However, in his human form, his speed it drastically limited to a less superhuman amount. His mind, however, still reacted and could respond to things in full time as if he were in hybrid form at all times; he just couldn't physically act at his werecheetah speed.

Therefore, he barely was able to dodge the pipe. This was at the expense of his balance, as he had basically just erratically flinched away from it.

The old troll's eyes glinted. In a flash, the pipe was retracted and sent back out towards the now helpless teen. Ranma saw it coming.

'Fuck.' Was Ranma's only thought.

The pipe hit him in the middle of the chest. The impact itself wasn't to bad, truthfully, but the subsequent flying through the wall kinda hurt a small bit.

He recovered almost instantly. He sat up, causing the small bit of debris that had fallen on him to fly off.

"What was that for, you old coot!?" He yelled.

"Hmph," The troll put the pipe to his mouth, "Know your place, boy! I am the Grand Master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts! Happosai!"

Ranma's eyebrows raised.

"Please have mercy on the boy, Master!" Genma pleaded, quickly moving up to the old man by shuffling on his knees, "My son can be so dishonorable at times!"

Genma's face then slammed into the ground thanks to a fist that was implanted into the back of his skull.

"I'm not your son, you asshole!" Ranma yelled.

Happosai looked at the downed Genma and then back up to the boy that was grinding Genma's face into the ground. His eyes narrowed.

The boy was obviously not related to Genma by blood. Genma was a pudgy yet tall supposedly bald Asian man. This boy, however, had blond hair that seemed to have spots in it, crystal green eyes, deep tan skin, rather sharp canines, and slightly pointed ears.

Obviously not related by blood.

"I see..." Happosai said, "So you're Genma's son, eh?"

"Ugh," Ranma said, looking off, "I was adopted."

"Aaah," Happosai said, "So you know the Saotome Anything Goes style, correct."

"Um, yeah," Ranma looked at him suspiciously.

"Then we'll just have to see what level your on, my boy!" Happosai chuckled, "And for that, we shall have a spar."

Ranma's eyes narrowed as he stood, sizing the small man up.

Although small and rather weak looking, he knew better than to judge him by his looks. Like Cologne, he suspected that this man had resorted to using his ki to fight. In old age, the body withers and muscles lose their strength, but the spirit does not. By training himself almost to perfection in ki manipulations, he was able to become faster and stronger rather than slower and weaker as he aged. And an abundance of ki would also allow him to take more hits than he really should be able to.

Happosai also narrowed his gaze.

The boy had an athletic build and moved with a superhuman grace that he doubted even he had. He could see in his eyes that the boy was intelligent. Very intelligent. His eyes bore a strange wisdom and a hollow pain. Happosai could see the boy had a troubled past, although growing up with Genma was likely to do that. But he doubted even Genma could cause so much bitterness and coldness to gather into a single person. That coupled with the fact that he had pointy ears and sharp fangs made Happosai wonder what was truly going on with this boy.

"Tonight," he said, "10pm. I want a private session to gauge your skills. And I do mean PRIVATE!"

He turned to Genma and Soun.

"So you two better not show up!" He yelled.

Genma and Soun instantly started to blabber and speak incoherently about how they would never go against their masters command and how he should spare them from his wrath.

_Tearass (v) "Tear-Ass": Normally used as 'Tearassing', this word denotes that one is moving at such speed that if they were to fall down, they would aquire many physical injuries; ie. Getting their asses torn off. Thus, this is the 'tearing of the ass'... tearassing!_

* * *

**...10pm...**

Ranma slid the door to the dojo closed behind him. He glanced from side to side, not seeing the old coot anywhere in the room.

At that moment, Happosai suddenly leapt from the ceiling to land in the middle of the dojo. In his hands were two small devices. A small clench of the fist later and the two devices cracked open.

"The hell are those?" Ranma asked.

"Haven't the foggiest," Happosai said, tossing the now broken things over his shoulder, "I'm thinking some sort of sound recorders or something."

He then turned to Ranma to see that he was thinking.

Hmm... recorders.

'Damnit,' he thought, 'That's how Nabiki found out. The entire house is bugged!'

"What is your name, boy?" Happosai asked.

"Ranma."

"You're real name."

Ranma narrowed his eyes.

"You're not Japanese," Happosai explained, "Or any other denomination of Asian. Ranma is a Japanese name, one that Genma obviously gave to you when you were adopted."

"..." Ranma stayed quiet for a moment, "...Rhys."

Happosai nodded.

"Well, shall we begin?" Happosai said.

"Whatever," Rhys said, his hands behind his head, looking off to the side.

Happosai was kinda erked at the boys continuous defiant nature. Happosai sprang forward at that, heading towards the youths head at full tilt.

Rhys was able to dodge the series of blows entirely simply by leaning forward. As Happosai sailed over him, he grabbed his shirt from below.

Rhys, a split second later, was on the floor with the troll standing on top of him.

"You're quick, m'boy," Happosai said, "But you're gonna have to do better than that!"

Rhys gritted his teeth and growled a small bit as he sent a palm in the general direction of Happosai's face. Happosai simply leapt off of him and onto the floor a small ways away to avoid.

Rhys flipped to his feet, landing in a low position. He remained like that for only the briefest of seconds before he acted.

A series of punches were sent in Happosai's direction; Rhys had to be in the lowest stance he could manage to be able to punch at him. Happosai simply dodged from side to side, not seeing that Rhys' foot had slipped between his legs. He then saw Rhys' eyes glint.

A slight flick with his foot caused Happosai to bounce into the air slightly; up to Rhys' eye level. Trying to take Happosai's shock as an advantage, Rhys sent a brutal punch towards his midsection.

He had to pull himself from the wall soon thereafter.

"Damn it," He mumbled silently, "The freak is moving way to fast..."

Rhys could see what was happening. Any sort of counterattack or bluff or feint he tried were used against him.

The moment he had grabbed Happosai, Happosai had, in turn, latched onto his wrist. He then used his ki to pull Rhys off of his feet and then to slam him into the ground.

The moment the punch seemed to land after he had booted Happosai into the air Happosai had grabbed his wrist again and pulled it, using Rhys' inertia to send him flying into the wall.

But something was off. Something wasn't right about the way it looked. Something... familiar. He needed to see it again.

"Okay, old geezer," Rhys said, brushing the dust from the inside of the wall off of him, "Now I'm angry!"

Rhys ripped towards Happosai as fast as he possibly could. He strained his currently human muscles to move faster. Time almost seemed to slow down as he rocketed toward him.

Happosai glanced at the attack, watching it come. And then, a split second before Rhys hit him, it happened again.

Rhys soared through the air, through the closed door on the other side of the room, out into the yard, and into the koi pond.

Rhys burst out of the water, gasping deep.

"You cheating asshole," Rhys growled in her now light and feminine voice.

She had seen it. The small almost unnoticeable flash just before Happosai tore into motion to deflect his blows. A small point of blue light appeared, surrounded by what looked like a small circle and some lines that was centered around Happosai's neck. A small chain could be seen around his neck.

Rhys had seen something like that before. It was the same as when Mr. Gosonkugi casted spells. A circle and magickal runes would appear in midair, tracing out some sort of magickal design a few seconds before the spell was actually cast. Every time he made an attack it would take a few moments to activate, but after that Happosai was a blur; moving too fast for him to see. It was some sort of necklace. It was magick.

"Wha...?" Happosai said as he saw the blonde busty bronze skinned babe rise from the pool.

"You've been usin' some sorta magick necklace or somethin'!" She yelled as she climbed from the pool, "Every time I get close ta hitting..."

She noticed that Happosai was gone. She then noticed that something was currently connected to her chest. She glanced down to see Happosai hanging from her breasts.

"Hotcha!"

WHAM!!!

"Hmph," Rhys said as she turned away from where a twitching old geezer was lying halfway embedded into the floor, "Dodge that, you ancient pervert."

She then left the room to return upstairs.

"Ite..." Happosai mumbled.

* * *

**The Next Day – Friday**

It had only been a week.

And it had felt like an eternity.

Or at least a really really long ass week.

But, Friday came. And with it the meeting that they had set up in the subway. Rhys was to meet Hiro and Mr. Gosonkugi in the abandoned part of the subway near the park. Ukyo was coming along so she could learn more about lycanthropes.

The combination for the lock was still 3044 and the subway still smelled of that glorious 'subway shtank'. The subway was still dimly lit and that damn broken clock still said 8.45 in the afternoon. The one thing that was different was that light was coming through the glass portions of a underground subway store door not too far down the way.

As they entered, a small chime went off. The people inside instantly turned to look.

Inside was a still rather pale Mr. Gosonkugi, a still rather furry tiger man Hiro, and a Dr. Tofu with horns.

Mr Gosonkugi was standing in front of what looked to be a large... portal. It was showing what looked like a random series of things and places. Hiro was on the phone with someone (land line). Tofu was doing something behind a large desk.

"Ah, Rhys, Ukyo," Tofu said, "It is nice to see you."

"Hey Doc," Rhys said, "Any news?"

"Well," Gosonkugi said, "We're having a bit of trouble. Nothing we can't work through, but the spell we've been trying to use doesn't cover a big of enough area to really search very well. We could do it one city or so at a time, but that would take years..."

"Plus the fact that if it doesn't find a werecheetah, it finds normal cheetahs. And if that doesn't work, it might find some random magical object thats aligned to a cat," Tofu said, "That's what you get when you tamper with a spell like that. It's best to make a spell from scratch than trying to change one."

"Unfortunately," Gosonkugi said, "Making a spell is a taxing and lengthy process that should only really be attempted by a arch-mage. And... I don't have the experience or the endurance to be an arch-mage."

"Damn it," Rhys said, looking down.

"But fear not," Tofu said, "When I said I had connections, I meant that I really had connections. I've been trying to find a person who could cast such a spell, but it's going to be difficult without have access to Jade."

"Jade?" Ukyo asked.

"Ah," Tofu readjusted his glasses, "We... have a lot to explain, don't we?"

He took a deep breath.

"Jade is essentially an alternate plane of existence," Tofu said, "One that is full of magick and is technologically simple. Jade was found and then populated 3000 years ago when Earth began to lose its natural magick. All of the supernatural races of Earth relocated to Jade soon thereafter, which is why its rare to find magick or any sort of supernatural creature on Earth."

"Is it hard to get there?" Rhys asked.

"Very," Gosonkugi said, "A Planar Gate is a very difficult spell that only a few people know. There are other spells that can do it, but they aren't Aura Mage spells, so I cannot cast them."

"This isn't very encouraging," Rhys looked off, annoyed.

"Now don't be goin' and sayin' somethin' like that," Hiro said, covering the phone for a moment, "There's a few mages still on Earth that know this sorta stuff. Trackin' them down is gonna be simple. No sweat."

"And with any luck, one of them might know something," Tofu noted, a small flash coming from his direction.

"Uh... Doc?" Rhys asked, "What are you doin'?"

"Hm, me?" Tofu looked up, "Oh, just some Draconic magick. I have several libraries and I'm scanning through to see if any of my fellow dragons know anything."

"Draconi-what?" Rhys asked.

"Draconic," Tofu smirked, "Having to do with Dragons. Dragons also speak a language called Draconic. It's something that all dragons can do instinctively."

"Okay..." Rhys asked.

"While they're doing that," Hiro said as he hung up the phone, "I just got off the phone with a good buddy of mine that lives in the states. He says he'll start to spread the word among the groups about how we're looking for yer sister."

"Great," Rhys made an exasperated laugh, "Finally some good news."

"Don't worry, Ran-chan," Ukyo said, smiling up at him. This caused him to lighten up a small bit.

"Yeah, don't sweat it," Hiro said, "And while we're at it, I better be explaining some things to you two about lycanthropes. Can ye both transform for me?"

Rhys nodded and transformed. Ukyo glanced at him for a small moment before looking down and slowly transforming herself.

This body might be powerful and had a rush with it, but... it still felt... weird...

"Now, first I'd best be tellin' ya how to transform the _easy_ way," Hiro said.

"The _easy _way?" Rhys asked, "There's an _easy_ way?"

"Of course!" Hiro said, "It's just a small trick that we all learn to help with the process."

* * *

_There is an easy way, but I do not know it. In the Comic, Brittany is taught how to do it, but it was basically in the background and consisted of her walking back and then a few frames later she was saying 'wow that is really easy!'. It never explains what it actually was so NYUAA! I skip!_

* * *

**A Small While Later**

"Lycanthropes came 'bout a long time ago," Hiro said, giving the two Lycan history 101, "Not too many people know this, but we were actually created by a wizard named Iceron. He was powerful... but had some powerful enemies, so he took some of the poor people that lived in tha land he controlled and... well, mixed them with animals."

"Like in a blender or something?" Rhys asked sarcastically.

"No no," Hiro said, "Magickally. First, he made the werehounds."

"Werehounds," Rhys raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Hiro said, "They ain't around no more. They weren't powerful enough to be his guards so Iceron created the werewolves to take their place. Thus, werewolves were made."

"Whoopie," Rhys' posture sank a small bit.

"Yeah, most of the other werecreatures would agree with ya there," Hiro said, "But anyway, werewolves made good soldiers and bodyguards sure, but Iceron needed someone that could go in and kill his enemies without getting detected. Thus, he made the wererats; a people full of ninjas and thieves, masters of stealth and whatnot."

"Rats?" Rhys raised an eyebrow, "Mice and rats always smelled kinda tasty..."

"You eat rats?" Ukyo looked at him, slightly shocked at that.

"What?" Rhys asked, confused at why that would be weird.

"Ahaha!" Hiro said, "Don't worry, Miss Ukyo. Rhys here has been a werecheetah all his life. Werecats understand each others things like that. Like fish."

"Oh hell yeah, seafood is awesome," Rhys blipped.

"That was made that way for a purpose," Hiro said, "All werecats are like that. That's what we were made for."

"To hunt rats and eat fish?" Ukyo asked.

"No... well...," Hiro thought for a moment, "Kinda. Iceron knew that, even with the loyalty spell woven into the werecreatures minds, the wererats were far to cunning and stealthy for his own good. Some were finding ways to gain their own power while still not going against his will. Iceron didn't like that. So he made werecats. We were made to make sure that any wererat or ninja or anything like that would get dealt with before they presented themselves. And the werecheetahs actually turned out to be the best ones at doing just that."

"We're expert rat hunters," Rhys supplied..

"I guess," Hiro said, "It's said that wererats are horrified of werecats, especially werecheetahs. Against a properly trained werecheetah, all their stealth and tricks are too slow to really do anything."

* * *

**After the Meeting**

Rhys and Ukyo found themselves far from the Tendo Dojo. It was near to Juuban, on top of the tallest building around. Rhys had been showing Ukyo how to roof hop in hybrid form; how to jump at the right time and reacting quick enough to avoid objects at super speed.

Rhys was looking off the edge of the building at the light night life traffic moved below. His face was solemn. Ukyo looked over at him to see his glum face, the normal fire that was in his eyes seemed dim.

"What's wrong, Rhy-chan?" Ukyo asked.

"Aaah..." Rhys said, "Just a little down, I guess."

Ukyo knew why he was down. It was fairly obvious: the news about finding his sister had him kinda depressed. Who knew what he was thinking about.

"I guess I'm just trying to think about what I'm gonna do if I actually find my sister," Rhys said, "She won't remember me."

"Rhys..." Ukyo said, putting her hand on his arm, "Don't think about what you're going to do _if_ you find your sister, think about what you're going to do _when_ you find your sister. You're going to find her, Rhy-chan. I know you will. And I'm gonna help you no matter what."

Rhys looked up to her with a tired and kinda sad smile. But even if his face was still slightly glum, a small bit of fire had returned to his eyes.

"Thanks Uc-chan," He said.

* * *

_Note: I know I spell it Magick and not Magic. Why? Because. Magic is the art of illusion and trickery to make people believe your doing supernatural things. Magick is the actually supernatural things. How do I know this?_

_My mothers a witch._

_Literally._

_Note: I know it might be confusing about how I sometimes use 'Ranma' and sometimes use 'Rhys'. I change between the two when the scenario is one where he would go by the name Ranma or Rhys. Around the Tendo's, people would call him Ranma. The same for being at school._

_However, at Tofu's or when he's with Ukyo, he would more than likely use his real name. So, in that situation, he would be called Rhys._


	13. Ch12  We Were Hunters

* * *

Chapter Twelve: We Were Hunters

* * *

When we last left off, Ukyo and Rhys were sitting atop a rooftop in the Juuban district. The two had been talking about this and that, eventually leading up to Rhys' past.

However, not far away, there was another entity. The person was dressed almost entirely in black. Loose black pants tucked into black boots, a black shirt underneath a black coat. Silver necklaces and rings were placed about his body, a black mask covered the lower part of his face. His hair was brown in color. He was currently looking through a pair of binoculars at the two werecheetahs that were sitting atop the building in hybrid form.

The man chuckled.

"Sloppy, girl," The man said, "I had thought you were smarter than that. Now that I've found you, its only a matter of time."

The man lowered his binoculars, showing his cold and remorseless eyes.

"And I see you've found the original," He smirked, "Soon, you'll be out of your misery, along with any other filthy beast in Tokyo."

The man started to laugh.

* * *

**Back to Rhys and Ukyo**

Rhys suddenly perked up, looking around. A noise. It had sounded like laughter, but it was too far away and too faint to tell for sure. A small movement out of the corner of his eye. He stood up quickly, looking around.

"What is it?" Ukyo asked, looking up at him.

"I just had a really bad feeling, like someone was watching us," Rhys said, looking around, "Lets get back to Nerima before something crazy happens."

"A-alright," Ukyo said, standing.

And with that, they both tore off over the rooftops, leaping across streets and alleyways easily with their speed and strength. They were a blur as they races towards the horizon.

* * *

**A Small Distance Away**

The man glanced around the corner towards where the two werecheetahs had been. He had been careless, forgetting about the werecheetahs enhanced hearing. Luckily, it didn't seem like they had truly noticed him. He watched as the two blurred into motion away from him.

"I see you've adapted quickly," He mumbled, "No matter."

He pulled out a small map of the area. He traced his finger from his current location towards the direction the two had moved off towards. His finger moved quickly over to the Nerima district.

"Hmph," He said, "Nerima. A district as small as that will be easy to search."

He looked back towards the horizon.

"Soon, my daughter..."

* * *

**Nerima**

It was the next day, and the Tendo's had done little to brighten Ranma's mood.

Nabiki was still wearing the two pounds of silver as before, sneaking around trying to learn more about him. Numerous times he had spotted small audio devices around the house. Not wanting to give Nabiki any excuse to bill him or anything, he would hide them away. If Nabiki ever asked, he could just give them back and then steal them all over again.

Akane had continued to be a 'ray of sunshine'. She had flown off her rocker and made pointless accusations about him, although he had been lucky that neither Genma or Soun had found out about Ukyo _also_ being engaged to him.

Ranma now sat at the breakfast table, trying not to do anything to warrant Akane's fury. He had been trying to keep her cool around Soun and Genma, but sometimes it wasn't meant to be.

"So, where did you get off to yesterday," Nabiki asked, looking at him. Ranma leveled his glance at her, "You left rather suddenly."

It was easy to see what she was doing. She was instigating Akane. The more grief she caused Ranma, the easier it would be to get information out of him; willingly or no.

Ranma was about to answer, but Akane beat him to the punch.

"Probably out with that hussy," Her voice full of venom.

Ranma had the time to sigh before the chain reaction started. Damn that Nabiki!

"What!?" Genma yelled, "Being unfaithful to Akane!?"

"Waaah!" Soun yelled as well, "Ranma is cheating with another woman!"

Ranma's head met the table with a resounding 'smack'. He lifted his head up slightly, glaring slightly at Nabiki. Nabiki simply smirked.

"Shut up, you idiot," Ranma said to Genma, "I wasn't out doing nothin'!"

"Yeah right," Akane said, "You were out with that blond haired bimbo, weren't you!?"

"Boy, I demand that you tell me who this other girl is, immediately!" He yelled.

Ranma looked at him.

"You remember the name Ukyo?" Ranma looked at him. Genma's expression signified the negative, "Well, do you member the Okonomiyaki cart that you stole a few years back after you had promised that I would marry the owners daughter?"

Genma's expression signified the positive by the fact that it lost most of its color.

"So it was true!" Ranma growled at him, "How many girls did you promise me to!?"

"I did no such thing!" Genma replied.

"Yeah right!" Ranma said, getting into a position that looked like a cat ready to pounce, "You crummy old bastard, I should rip your head off!"

And with that, he leaped at his adopted father.

* * *

**Across the Street, Atop a Roof**

"Hmm..." The same black cloaked man mumbled, "I had not realized that the beast was the son of the fool who stole our Kart. This complicates things."

He thought for a moment.

"To catch any cat, you need bait," He smirked, "And what fine bait I see here. But I cannot use the fool Genma. By the way the two are fighting, I doubt the boy has any love for the man."

He looked over the rest of the people.

"The father wouldn't do either," He listed, "He's far to emotional and skilled as a fighter. The oldest daughter... no. I have a feeling that kidnapping her wouldn't bring the best of karma."

He watched as Akane started swinging her huge mallet at the cheetah boy, who was trying his hardest to avoid the two ton obstacle.

"Not the youngest either," He mumbled, "Although not especially skilled, her strength could prove to be problematic. The middle daughter..."

Nabiki was calmly eating her breakfast, totally ignoring the fighting going on around her. It was obvious from watching that she had been the one that started the fight with a few choice words.

"Perhaps..." He lowered the binoculars, "She doesn't hold herself like a martial artist, so there is minimum chance that she could put up a fight. But it seems like the beast doesn't hold her in the highest of regards."

He thought to himself for a moment.

"I'll need something to solidify the deal," He said, "Someone that I know he'll come for."

He thought for a moment longer before a vile smirk appeared on his face.

* * *

**On The Way to Furinkan**

Nabiki walked alone, just like every other day. She always left bright and early to get to Furinkan far before any of the martial artists. Today was no different.

The walk was, as normal, uneventful. The streets weren't crowded, but not unpopulated either. A car drove by every moment or two.

Nabiki passed by an empty alleyway.

Suddenly, a huge sound from down the alleyway startled her. The sound of a garbage can being knocked over.

He stared into the empty lot cautiously. A small cat ran off, away from a still moving garbage can that was rolling along the ground.

Nabiki sighed in relief.

She turned back to the sidewalk in front of her and took one step.

A hand suddenly clasped itself over her mouth, another reaching around her waist. She tried to scream out, but could not.

She was pulled into the alleyway.

* * *

**Furinkan**

Ranma sat under a tree, alone. The day had already dragged on long enough for him. The only reprieve was lunch period. The only time that neither teachers nor Akane could easily make his day a living hell. It was also the only time that he and Ukyo could possibly get some time to talk.

Looking over, he saw Ukyo approaching. His mood brightened a bit when he saw her.

However, a sinking feeling suddenly appeared in his stomach when he saw her stop cold. She was looking towards him with a fearful expression. One of mortal terror.

Ranma raised an eyebrow at that. Why was she looking at him like that? No, wait... she wasn't looking at him, she was looking...

...Directly above him.

A sword, gleaming silver, slammed into the ground where Ranma had been seconds earlier. Ranma continued through the air before landing a good ten feet away from the dark clothed man, just in front of Ukyo.

Students instantly reacted. Most of them that were nearby scuttled off quickly, trying to put as much distance between them and what they saw as an inevitable fight.

Ranma's eyes were glued on the sword as the man pulled it from the ground. The sword shown with a blue aura, signifying the presence of silver. The man slowly turned towards the two of them.

The man stood up strait, his eyes looking at the two blond children nearby.

"Hello again," He said in a cold voice, "_Daughter_."

Ukyo stepped away from him, trembling. Ranma glanced back at her to see that her hands were covering the bandages of the silver burns along her arms. Ranma's eyes narrowed. He turned back to the man, growling a small bit.

"You bastard," Ranma said, "So you're the one that hurt her!"

"I am a demon hunter," Ukyo's father said, "I destroy demons where-ever they are, even if they turn out to be my own flesh and blood."

He raised the sword to point it at them. Ranma couldn't help but feel the sting of fear enter him. The thought of the pain of silver made him start to sweat a small bit.

He steeled his resolve, taking a deep breath. Silver or no, no one was going to hurt his friend.

"You are the one that infected her with your filth," He said, stepping forward, "I should kill you where you stand for that."

Ranma's gaze kept switching from the mans face to the multiple blue auras that seemed to surround him. There was literally no way for Ranma to strike him unarmed without injuring himself on the silver that covered the man. His mind raced, trying to think of something he could do.

He simply readied himself for whatever the man did. The man continued to walk closer and closer to him. Ranma could hear that, behind him, Ukyo's fear was escalating with every step the man took. Ranma had to do something; something fast. There was no telling when Ukyo's fear would overwhelm her, causing...

Ranma was caught off guard when he suddenly heard the tearing off cloth from behind him. He spun his head around just in time to see a cheetah running away from them full tilt.

"Shit!" Ranma said. But before he could do anything, he heard the sound of a whip cracking.

Ukyo, in full cheetah form, was pulled off of her four feet as something wrapped around her neck. She landed with a resounding thud. She quickly tried to get up and pull away, but was unable to. She clawed at the rope-like noodle that was ensnared around her neck. She yelped out as the noodle tightened, threatening to cut off her breathing.

Her father had whipped out what looked like a long noodle and had used it to lasso his now feline daughter, bringing her to the ground.

Ranma acted as quickly as he could, ripping into motion towards Ukyo's father.

'Come on, faster, _faster_," Ranma thought as he strained his human body to go faster. He closed the gap between him and the man before any of the students could blink.

But not fast enough.

There was a blur. Ranma found himself struggling to remain standing as he ran past the older man in shock. A split second later, pain surged into being from his upper arm.

The students watched as the man slashed Ranma with his sword. Seconds later, the wound suddenly erupted into blue flames, causing Ranma to stumble to his knees, yelling out.

Ranma hastily managed to put out the fire, pain almost paralyzing his body. He couldn't even move as he heard Ukyo's struggling become weaker and weaker. He heard someone walking up behind him.

"Indescribable pain," the man said, "They say that when a werecreature is touched by silver, it not only burns the body, it burns their very soul."

Ranma gritted his teeth, glaring at the mans feet as he walked up next to him.

"Pity," He said, "I had thought that you would have transformed; that you would have actually put up a fight. No matter, this ends here and now!"

He lifted the sword up for the killing blow.

"Static Jolt!"

The man was forced back as a large pulse of electricity suddenly slammed into him. He spun quickly to see who it was.

Hikaru Gosonkugi stood there, his right hand smoking a small bit.

"Bloody mage," The man said, "Fine. This will end later!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object: a small golden amulet. Holding it up for a small moment, he vanished from sight. Ukyo and the noodle rope disappeared as well.

Ranma slowly forced himself to stand. However, he felt his strength wane again, causing him to fall over onto his knees. Gosonkugi ran up to him, helping him stand.

"Oh man, oh man," He muttered, "This is bad, real bad. I promised dad I wouldn't ever use a spell at school but I did, oh man, oh man..."

"Where is he?" Ranma asked through gritted teeth, his voice filled with malice. Gosonkugi looked at his face to see that Ranma's eyes were now slitted like a cats, his anger only barely contained.

"He's gone," Gosonkugi said, "He Disappear with Ukyo."

"Damn it," Ranma growled out before another wave of weakness flowed through him, almost causing him to collapse again.

Gosonkugi looked at the wound. It looked really bad. Every once in a while, blue flames seemed to lick out from Ranma's wound, causing Ranma almost to collapse in pain.

"Oh man, this is soul char," Gosonkugi muttered, "We gotta get you to Tofu's quick!"

"What the hell was that?" A voice asked. Both Ranma and Hikaru turned to look to see Akane standing there. Ranma looked away.

"What did it look like?" He growled, "I just got attacked and Ukyo just got kidnapped."

Ranma grunted as the wound seemed to pulse in pain again. Gosonkugi could barely keep the two of them from falling over.

"Is... is he okay?" Akane asked.

"No," Gosonkugi said, almost falling over, "I... I need help getting him to Doctor Tofu's Clinic!"

Akane paused for a moment before she slowly started to walk over towards them. However, she was stopped as a small piece of paper suddenly drifted to the ground in front of her. She looked down at it.

It was a letter.

She slowly reached down and gingerly picked it up.

"H-h-hurry!" Gosonkugi was practically bent over sideways trying to keep Ranma standing.

Akane quickly stashed the letter away in her book bag.

* * *

**Tofu's**

"This is most definitely soul char," Tofu said quietly as he examined the now unconscious Ranma, a small wisp of blue flame came out, "And it seems that fragments of silver had lodged themselves inside of the wound. This is not good."

He turned to look at the worried Gosonkugi and the clueless Akane.

"Who was he fighting?" He asked.

"I dunno," Akane said, "Some man wearing all black suddenly jumped at him talking about demons."

"It was a hunter," Gosonkugi stated simply.

"I see," Tofu nodded, "And what of Miss Ukyo?"

"She..." Akane paused, "She turned..."

"The hunter took her," Gosonkugi stated, cutting her off.

"Damn," Tofu said, "Hikaru, contact your father. We need to find out where this hunter is."

"Excuse me," Akane said, wondering why she was being cut off and almost ignored, "What's going on?"

Tofu turned to her, but said nothing.

"What...?" Akane asked, "What _is_ Ranma?"

"What do you mean?" Tofu asked.

"Well," Akane said, "Ukyo freaked out and turned into some big cat when the man in black arrived. And Ranma and Ukyo look a lot alike."

Tofu sighed.

"That is for Ranma to tell you," Tofu said.

"What? Why can't you just tell me?" She asked.

"Because," Tofu said, "As you've seen today, there are people out there who wish him and people like him harm. It is his choice to tell you or not, I have no right to do so. Now please, I must tend to this wound so could you both wait outside?"

Gosonkugi nodded and walked from the room. Akane glanced at Ranma one more time suspiciously and walked from the room.

"Th-thanks Doc," Ranma's voice came.

Tofu turned to look at him.

"Just rest," Tofu said, "I'll have those silver fragments out before you know it."

* * *

**Outside the Office**

Akane sat there, wondering what was going on. Were Ranma and Ukyo really demons like the man in black had said?

No, that couldn't be it. If Ranma was a demon, Dr. Tofu wouldn't help him. And even if he was a pervert and an idiot, Akane couldn't really call Ranma evil.

Gosonkugi, although elated that not only was he waiting in the same room as Akane and had talked to him, had also refused to tell her any of what he knew about Ranma. Akane was shocked. Gosonkugi _did_ have a backbone.

It was after about twenty minutes of waiting that Akane remembered the letter. Reaching over to the bag, she slowly pulled it out.

She quickly glanced to Gosonkugi to see that he was still looking away from her. He hadn't brought himself to look at her ever since they sat down.

She slowly unfolded the letter.

* * *

_Devil Born Werecreature,_

_I have in my possession someone that you know. If you ever want to see Miss Nabiki Tendo again, come to this Address one week from now at midnight. Come alone._

* * *

It then gave an address.

Akane's face went pale.

Gosonkugi turned quickly when he heard Akane suddenly stand up and bolt from the clinic. He, confused, watched her run down the street towards her home. It was at that point that something caught his eye.

A letter was drifting in the air silently. It came to rest in the middle of the floor.

* * *

**Later**

It was several hours later that Tofu finally came from the room where Rhys' rested. He looked about the waiting room to see who was there.

Mr. Gosonkugi and Hiro were there. And to Tofu's surprise, there were three other people there. Two elderly people, a man and a woman, and a young looking purple haired girl. It had been raining outside for quite a while now.

As he walked into the room, the purple haired girl leapt from her seat.

"Is Rhys okay?" She asked.

"H-he is fine," Tofu said, "It will take a small while for him to recover. Perhaps a few weeks at most. Luckily, the wound won't inhibit his abilities to much even though it was silver."

"I'm afraid we do not have that much time," The elderly woman said, "Shampoo, please give the doctor the letter."

The purple haired girl reached behind her and pulled out a small letter.

"Pale Face Boy find it in clinic just after Tendo Girl leave," Shampoo said.

Tofu took the letter and read it. Afterwards, he sighed.

"This is bad," He said.

"Truly," The elderly woman said, "By Gosonkugi's son's testimonies, the hunter that Rhys met earlier today not only has several magickal items but is also Miss Ukyo's father."

"From what he said," Mr. Gosonkugi said, "He at least has a object that allows him to teleport and perhaps either a ring or amulet of haste."

"And to have beaten Rhys in such a fashion," The elderly man said, "Is testimony to his skills."

"Forgive me for sounding rude," Tofu said, "But can I ask who you are?"

"Ah yes," The man said, standing up, "I am Happosai, Grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts."

"I am Koh Lon," Cologne said, "This is my great granddaughter Xian Pu. We are amazons, allies to Rhys ever since he came to the our village in China a few months ago."

Tofu nodded.

"We are here to help Rhys in defeating this 'hunter'," Cologne said, "The address is clear and it should be easy for us to get in and get out successfully."

"I wouldn't go barging in on the man," Hiro said, "He's a were-hunter. He's likely to have dozens of magickal defenses and weapons. If we try to go in with Rhys, it is very likely that both Ukyo and Nabiki will be killed before he escapes."

"Surely he wouldn't..." Mr. Gosonkugi started.

"Don't put things like that past 'em," Hiro crossed his arm, "Every werecreature worth his salt knows that hunters are some of the most emotionless and deadly people out there. Even though Ukyo might be his daughter, it is unlikely that he intends to spare her. And even though Nabiki might just be a bystander, he's not beyond killing innocent people to get at what he wants."


	14. Ch13 Eclipse

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Eclipse

* * *

Nabiki suddenly awoke to the sounds of screaming coming from nearby. She raised her head sharply, looking towards where the sounds we coming from.

The area looked to be some sort of warehouse. Random boxes and crates littered the area. Some were covered in white sheets, others were broken their contents spilling out onto the floor. They seemed to be filled with some weird sort of plush dolls.

She tried to move towards the sound, but couldn't. Looking up, she saw why.

She was chained to the wall, high enough so that her feet could not touch the floor.

Her attention was drawn away from herself as she heard another inhuman yell.

A small distance away, she saw a tall black garbed man holding a metal rod standing over what seemed to be a large cheetah. The cheetah's fur was severely burnt in some places, smoke still coming off of its wounds. It had a large collar around its neck chaining it to the wall nearby.

To her surprise, she suddenly heard the cheetah talk.

"F..fa... ther..." It said in a garbled voice, "Plea... plea... se... s-stop..."

Nabiki winced as the man hit the cheetah with the rod with all his might. As the rod hit her, the area burst into blue flames for a small moment, leaving that area charred. The cheetah cried out again.

"Do not call me that, creature," the man said, "My daughter is no longer alive."

"B... b-but..." it said, "I-i'm... st... s-still... U... U-Uky..."

She was cut off as the man clubbed her again.

"Do not speak that name to me!" He yelled, "My daughter died the instant she became what you are! And when I kill the demon that did this, I will then kill you!"

The cheetah just laid there.

"Transform," The man said.

The cheetah cracked open a weary eye to look up at him.

"Transform!" He ordered, pointing the rod at her, "Show me your true form, show me the face you stole from my daughter!"

The cheetah winced away from the rod. Slowly, its form seemed to shift until it became humanoid. Nabiki recognized the person it turned into.

It was that new student. The blonde haired girl that always hung around Ranma. Except now she was a seven and a half foot tall naked cheetah girl. She hugged her knees close to her chest as she looked up at the man Nabiki assumed was her father, her eyes filled with tears.

So she was the same as Ranma... or rather Rhys.

Werecheetah...

Nabiki didn't know what expression the man was making, but it was obviously not a very happy one as Ukyo's own expression of sadness grew in intensity. Her expression was suddenly filled with fear again as the man brought the rod that Nabiki assumed was made of silver down upon her again, this time to her head. She cried out sharply before collapsing to the ground.

Her head hit the floor with a sickening thud.

* * *

It was almost nine years ago.

A small girl was resting a small distance away from her home after just training with her father. The rush of learning how to fight dulled the pain from the small cut she had on the back of her hand. It was very small, barely bleeding at all, so she didn't feel it necessary to bandage it up right away.

She laid up against a tree, basking in the warmth of the autumn noon day sun. She found her thoughts drifting off towards the two guests that were staying just a small ways away into the woods. She didn't quite trust the older man, simply because the old mans son spoke very poorly of him. It was quite common to see the old man come into the house to drink with her father and talk about their children.

It did occur to her that her father hadn't even met the boy. Normally, she would be sent out to play when the two sat and drank. It was then that she would meet the boy and they would play.

However, her thoughts suddenly changed as she remembered the sounds from last night. She had been awoken from sleep by an inhuman howl. It was if someone was being tortured outside. She had found herself unable to move, fearing whatever was doing that to whoever outside might just come inside. And when the screaming abruptly stopped, it only intensified the fear.

She wasn't able to get back to sleep until a few hours later.

She shook her head, ridding the thoughts from her mind. She then yawned.

However, he yawn was cut short when she heard a sudden and loud yell from far within the woods. This time, however, it was more of a yell of anger than of fear. And it too was abruptly cut short. She sat there, looking around for a moment before she peeked around the tree.

The woods were dark and silent.

Probably just some animal. That had to be it.

Still she sat there, drifting back and forth between wakefulness and sleep.

She was aroused, however, when the sound of something stumbling through the brush came to her. She quickly sat up and turned towards that direction. Hearing the sound once more, she moves so she was behind the tree, peeking around from what she felt was relative safety.

She heard it come closer and closer, until whatever it was stumbled into the clearing she was in.

It was a cat. Relatively large, coming up to her waist if she stood up. It was covered in golden fur with brown spots. It was also gravely injured, bleeding severely out of several what looked like claw wounds all along its body. It also looked like its left front leg was broken and was also bleeding quite bad. It had rags draped over some of its body.

It came a few feet into the clearing before it collapsed in front of her. It was still breathing, but every breath was more and more shallow as it seemed to be lapsing into and out of consciousness.

Seeing this, she slowly came from around the tree. She reached down and picked up a sturdy piece of wood nearby. Her movement caught the felines attention. Its ears perked, but it didn't seem capable of focusing its vision on any one thing.

She slowly walked over to it, kneeling down in front of it cautiously. She looked it over.

It was only when she got close did she hear that it was actually muttering. This alone wasn't what surprised her.

It was that it was muttering words; perhaps not intelligibly, but it was definitely talking.

The girl suddenly found herself thinking back to something her father had said recently.

"There are demons in this world," He had said, "Demons that our family has fought against for almost twenty generations. Take no pity on them, whether they be man or animal. They are unnatural and must be snuffed out."

This creature... could it be...?

It was then that she realized what it was muttering.

Something about its parents. Something about a little sister. Of fire. Of loneliness and hopelessness. Of sorrow.

The girl sat there for a moment more, debating in her head.

"Momma..." The creature muttered, "Poppa... why... w-why... d-did you... leave... m-me...?"

She looked at its face. She saw that the small creature was crying. She felt her own eyes well up as it pitifully muttered this. She looked down, seeing the stick that was still in her hands. She then looked at its broken leg.

The nodded to herself before she reached up and untied the long white cloth ribbon from her hair. She reached out and gingerly took its arm, trying to straiten it without hurting the creature.

It hissed, but in pain and not out of anger. In its state, it was hardly capable of realizing what was happening. She stopped for a moment as she heard it, but resumed before too long.

She pulled the jacket that she had from around her. She used that to clean the wounds as best she could before she tied the stick to its arm as a brace using the ribbon.

As she finished, she noticed that the creature was now peacefully asleep. Although it was still hurt, she had managed to stop most of the bleeding at the expense of the jacket. She then noticed a stinging sensation from the back of her hand.

She looked at it to see the small cut from earlier. She also noticed at that point that her hands were quite bloody and that the stinging was probably because of a small bit of blood or dirt getting into the small wound. She gingerly patted the creature on the head once or twice; wishing it the best of luck; before she turned to head home to wash up.

* * *

**Tendo Residence**

"Where have you been?" Genma asked hotly as Ranma entered the room. Akane turned to look.

Ranma glanced at him with a cold look in his eye, but otherwise did nothing as he crossed the room towards the stairs.

"Don't ignore me, boy!" Genma said as he lashed out at him. Ranma flew into motion, shoving the incoming fist aside before he sent a foot into the side of Genma's head.

"I'm not in the mood, old man," Ranma growled at him.

The noise this little debacle had created had gotten Soun's attention. He sprung from where he had been, wailing all the while.

"Ranma, what has happened to Nabiki!?" He cried, "My poor baby's been kidnapped! I demand you go and rescue her right this instant."

Ranma stopped.

"Nabiki as well?" He asked, not even turning around. He sighed and stood there in silence for a few moments before he again started to head towards the stairs.

"Where are you going!?" Soun yelled, "You must go out and fi...!"

"No," Ranma said, cutting him of with a stern voice.

"W-what?" Akane said, "Why not!?"

Ranma turned to look at her. She was shocked at his expression. It was cold; almost emotionless... but it had an obvious sense of sadness around it almost covered up by barely contained anger. It was like he was staring into her soul.

"Because," He said, "That man may be a killer but he won't hurt her. He's just using her to get to me."

"What!?" Genma yelled, "What have you done!? I demand that you explain yourself and then rescue your fiancé's sister, right now!"

Ranma turned to looked at him. Genma wasn't as effected by his gaze as Akane was.

"What have I done?" Ranma asked, "Yeah, I guess it's my fault for being born. My fault that this guy just shows up out of the blue out for my blood. My fault that I got my only damn childhood friend kidnapped and possibly even killed by her own father. I guess it is all my fault!"

With that yell, Ranma slammed his fist into a wall. His hand didn't just go through it like one would expect; it also took most of the wall with it. The noise of the wall crumbling made the glasses on the table shudder.

Ranma lowered his arm. A few moments after that and a drip dripping sound could be heard. They all; everyone except Ranma; looked around for the source. They found it when they saw that Ranma's arm was bleeding, running down his hand and dripping from his fingers.

Kasumi gasped.

"Oh my!" Kasumi said, "What happened to your arm!?"

Ranma looked at his hand and the blood that was on it.

"I told you," Ranma said, "He's a killer."

With that, Ranma left the room.

* * *

It was what felt like hours later. Without a clock or any recognizable windows, it was hard to tell. Nabiki had been rustling around the entire time.

There was no comfortable way to hang.

The time ticked by in silence, the man vacant for the entire time. No doubt off preparing for when Ran... Rhys arrived. Nabiki could only hope it was soon.

She had nodded off twice. She thought that if she had already fallen asleep twice, stayed asleep for quite a long time and then awoken again, it had to be somewhere near two or three days later. Her wrists were starting to hurt severely as the rope cut into her.

Still, a better position that Ukyo Kounji, who had remained unmoving the entire time. Nabiki could only tell from the sight of her breathing that she was alive. She was unsure that she would wake up.

Ever.

However, after a long while, some faint whimpers could be heard from her general direction. Nabiki looked up to her.

She scrunched up slightly, gasping as the movement brought pain. The blows were harsh, true, but from what she knew people like her healed quickly. Shouldn't that damage heal?

Perhaps the rod he had used was silver. That would make sense in her mind. Perhaps the pain from it was somewhat more than she had originally imagined.

"Hey," She said in a low tone, "Are... you okay?"

Ukyo didn't answer and eventually Nabiki sighed, thinking that she would not get a response.

"It hurts..." Ukyo suddenly said, "It... hurts so much... I... I..."

She tried to lift up a small bit, but she yelped out and fell back to the floor.

Glancing at her, Nabiki only then noticed that she wasn't actually tied to anything or even cagted up. She was just laying there haphazardly on the floor. Perhaps the man had counted on the damage he had inflicted to stop her from escaping. Perhaps he felt it impossible for her to escape. Perhaps he was foolish. It was impossible to tell.

"You're that new girl..." Nabiki said, "Miss... Kounji, right?"

She didn't respond for a long while.

"I... I don't think I... that I can use that name anymore..." She said in a hushed tone, before letting out a silent sob, "I... I'm no different... I... I'm still me... but..."

Nabiki stayed silent for a while, her curiosity waging battle against her sense of decency. She wanted to know what she was involved it but she also didn't want to bring up anything that would make the girl worse off.

"What..." She said, "What happened?"

Again, it took a long time for a response to come.

"It... it was an accident," Ukyo muttered, not completely conscious at the moment, "It... was my fault... not his... I didn't know... Daddy... I... I'm sorry..."

Nabiki looked down as Ukyo continued to mutter on.

* * *

Ukyo was rapidly washing her head in the bath.

"Damnit, damnit," She said, "Come off, come off..."

It was then that she heard a knock on the door.

"Ukyo?" Her father asked, "Are you okay? You've been in there for quite a while now."

"Uh..." Ukyo said, "I'm. okay, Daddy. Just, uh... trying to get some soot off my hands."

"Soot?"

"I, uh... cleaned my grill," Ukyo said.

"This early in the morning?" Her father asked.

"Y-yeah!" Ukyo said, "I woke up early and, uh... couldn't go back to sleep so I cleaned it!"

"Oh, okay," Her father said, walking away from the door.

Ukyo sighed. That was true, she had cleaned her grill. Last night. And she had already scrubbed all the soot off of her.

This morning, she had woken up to discover something rather... unsettling.

Her hair was a different color. Blonde.

At first she thought it was some prank one of the girls at school had pulled on her. Mixed bleach into the liquid soap in the girls locker room baths. The concept of the time needed for bleach to actually lighten the hair didn't occur to her.

That is, until she discovered that her hair also had spots. Round ones.

No matter what, bleach wouldn't do something weird like that. This, of course, was only slightly curious to her.

Until she noticed that her previously brown eyes were now a jade green color.

That made something in her memory click. Almost... damn, almost six years ago. Back when she was eight years old. Back when Ranma hung around. He had blonde hair with spots. He also had jade green eyes.

Flash a year or so later.

Her father was talking to her about what the family tradition was. They were hunters. Supernatural exterminators. They found and killed anything that wasn't natural, be it vampyr, lycanthrope, goblin, orc, or giant nuclear squid. He also told her a story.

He told her about how he had been involved with the complete destruction of a tribe of lycanthropes. Ones with blonde hair that had spots and ones who had jade green eyes. Werecheetahs, he called them.

Ranma...

Ranma must have been one of them!

But... he would have had to bite of scratch her. And he would have to be in the weird hybrid form that her father had told her about to do it. That never happened.

But...

She did remember the small cheetah cub.

It was injured. Badly injured. So she cleaned its wounds and made it a simple splint for one of its legs. She had left it to clean up back at her house.

The next day the cheetah was no longer there. That same day Ranma left with his father. That same day her father told her that they had stolen the yattai, something that had been a dowry for Ranma and Ukyo's future engagement.

Her eyes widened as she remembered having cut herself on a sharp spatula the same day just before she helped the cheetah. She quickly brought up her hand.

She had always thought it weird that the scar had ended up darker that the surrounding skin instead of lighter.

She just starred at it.

She almost gasped as a gut wrenching feeling suddenly burst into existance in her stomach. It wasn't so much painful as it was unsettling. It was as if something was growing within her.

And suddenly it felt like something was growing out of her as well. As well as it felt like she herself was growing.

All she could do was stare down at her hands as they started to change before her eyes.

* * *

**Tendo Residence**

"Hello?" Kasumi spoke, answering the phone, "Oh, hello doctor!"

Akane glanced up at her.

Doctor Tofu... he knew what Ranma was.

"To Ranma?" Kasumi asked, drawing the attention of Genma, "He's... been very quite for the past few days. All he does is sleep. During the day he just vanishes; only coming back once its late."

Kasumi listened for a moment.

"I do agree," She said, "It's not very healthy, but... Yes? Oh, my... Yes, I'll make sure to tell him that. Okay. Bye bye."

Kasumi hung up the phone. She stood there for a few moments, pondering.

"What did whoever want with Ranma?" Genma asked plainly.

"That was Doctor Tofu of the nearby clinic," Kasumi said, "He said that he had something very urgent to tell him regarding the whole kidnapping. He..."

She stopped as she heard someone enter the house. The person started to head towards the stairs. They all looked as Ranma came into view, a solemn look on his face.

"Oh, Ranma," Kasumi said to him, "Doctor Tofu just called."

Ranma stopped and looked towards her.

"And?" he asked simply.

Slightly taken back by Ranma's blunt and rude answer, it took Kasumi a small moment to recover.

"He said he had something urgent to talk to you about," Kasumi said, not able to look Ranma in the face, "He wants you to stop by as soon as you can."

Ranma sighed, looking down and closing his eyes for a moment. He then looked back up at her, his expression softer than it had been in quite a while.

"Thanks, Kasumi," He said, "I'll just head over there now."

"Are you sure?" Kasumi said, "You've only been sleeping a few hours a night and you should really get some rest."

"No," Ranma said quickly, "Well... not yet. I'll get some rest when I get back. This probably won't take very long. Don't worry about me, I've been through worse."

"Oh... alright then," Kasumi said.

"Later," Ranma said, quickly moving back towards the door.

* * *

**Tofu's Clinic**

It was late. Very late.

People were already inside watching TV or sleeping. Not a single person was out walking the streets. Rhys took advantage of this, using his hybrid form to leap from rooftop to rooftop as inhuman speeds towards the clinic.

Rhys jumped down to the front door. He glanced up and down the street quickly as he stood up. No one.

Seeing this, he opened the door.

"Ah, Rhys," Tofu said as the young werecheetah entered, "You... look horrible."

"Heh...damn, I was hoping the fur would cover that..." Rhys chuckled tiredly..

"You really need to get some rest," Tofu said, "If your exhausted you won't be of any help to anyone."

"Don't worry," Rhys said, "I still have one more day. I'll rest up tomorrow. You... wanted to tell me something?"

"Oh, yes," Tofu said as he reached down under the counter. After a few seconds, he came back up with two items. A pendant and a book, "After you got the challenge note, I took the liberty of going back to my hoard... er, treasury to look for some things that might be of use to you."

Rhys came over to look at them better.

"When you go up against a hunter; especially one who would do such harm to his own daughter," Tofu said, "You can never expect them to fight fairly. Even if you were the best martial artist in the world, you wouldn't stand a chance because of all the magickal items the mans probably got."

"Yeah, he moved so fast that I couldn't even see him," Rhys said.

"That, and I can tell you that that sword he cut you with is highly magickal," Tofu said, "From what I could tell from the wound he gave you, it's a lot more than just silver. More than likely its has a Bane enchantment on it."

"What?" Rhys asked dryly.

"A Bane enchantment makes the sword much more effective against one certain type of creature and less effective against pretty much anything else," Tofu said, "If it is set towards werecreatures, it would do untold damage to them. But to anything else, it's almost as if the blade's edge is as blunt as its backside. Normally, the cut he gave you would hurt but not be life threatening, but with the enchantment on the sword it nearly killed you."

"Great," Rhys said, "A weapon made specifically to kill me, thats just wonderful."

"That's where this comes in," Tofu said, picking up the pendant, "This will, upon command, dispel any magickal effects within a one hundred foot area around the user. It won't put the enchantments out of commission for good, but it'll make any magickal item be useless for as long as they're within a hundred feet of you. Just note that while the magickal powers of the sword may be nullified, the sword is still silver."

"Gotcha" Rhys said, picking it up, "Sweet. This thing'll come in handy."

"Also," Tofu said, sliding forward the book, "This is something for you to look through."

"What is it?" Rhys asked.

"This is in case you somehow lose that pendant," Tofu said, "This is an old grimore I had lying around."

"A grim-what?"

"A grimore,"Tofu explained, "It's a spell book. One that you don't need to memorize the spells out of to use them. They're very rare and extremely powerful if you know how to use them."

"Uh, one thing," Rhys raised a finger before pausing for a moment, "I _don't_ know how to use it."

"It's easy," Tofu said, "How can I explain this... ah-ha. I know."

Tofu walked around the counter to face Rhys. Rhys took that small bit of time to leaf through the book.

"You know how you reach into yourself to transform?" Tofu said.

"Reach...?" Rhys said before thinking, "Yeah, I guess you could explain it like that. It's more like willing my body to react, but..."

"Well," Tofu said, "Going off what I know about a werecreatures ability to transform, using a grimore shouldn't be too different. Instead of reaching inside your own body for power, you must learn to reach into the power of the grimore instead."

"Controlling it by force of will?" Rhys offered.

"Exactly," Tofu said.

"Another thing, though," Rhys said as he looked down into the book. He then looked up, "I can't read this."

"True," Tofu said, "It is written in ribbon. I tried to find a normal spell casters grimore, but all I had was one with draconic spells in it. It's a long shot, as no other creature besides dragons have been known to use dragon magick. But if one was to learn ribbon and use a draconic grimore..."

"Ribbon?" Rhys noted.

"It's an ancient language from Jade," Tofu said, "In all actuality its almost forgotten to have ever existed. But it is the natural language of dragons, so It never truly be forgot. It's found in a lot of the ancient ruins that dot Earth and Jade."

"So, how can I use this if I don't speak it?" Rhys asked, kinda confused.

"I took that into consideration," Tofu said, reaching into one of his pockets. He pulled out a simple gold ring.

"A ring of comprehend languages," Tofu said, "One of what I think is the most useful spells. With this, you'll not only be able to understand any spoken language, but you'll also be able to read any written language."

Rhys looked down at the right and then back up to Tofu's face.

"Are you sure you're okay with giving me all this?" Rhys asked.

"Consider it a loan," Tofu said, "They're just trinkets I came across in my many years of living. Well, all except the grimore, I kind of wrote that one. Consider the grimore a gift."

"Are you sure?" Rhys asked.

"Of course," Tofu smirked, "As a dragon, I can naturally cast all of the spells within that book. I don't have any use at all of it. Besides, there are two girls out there who are depending on you. I want to see them safe more than I want these things. I have tons of these things really. After you get as old as I am, you tend to become much less materialistic."

"As old as you are?" Rhys chuckled, "How old are you, anyway?"

"Me?" Tofu said, "Oh, I lost count back around the time I was 1500."

Rhys didn't even respond. His face went plain as he simply stared at Tofu.

"Anyway," Tofu asked, "I was meaning to ask. How goes your own preparations?"

"Pretty good, I guess," Rhys said, "I've been going outside of town each day to do some training in my hybrid form. Since I went for so long without even using it, I've been getting used to fighting in this form. At first I noticed that I couldn't really fight any faster in this form, the enhanced abilities threw me off somethin' horrible. But I've almost gotten used to fighting at my top speed."

"Good, good," Tofu said, "Make sure you take time to at least look through the book. You only need to remember the name of the spell to be able to activate it. I've placed instructions in the back of the book."

"Thanks, Doc," Rhys said, "I better get going though, before the Tendo's start wondering what's taking so long. Later!"

* * *

**The Next Day**

Rhys once again arrived at the spot he had designated as his training spot. It was about ten or so miles out into the forest from the city's edge; the perfect spot to train in his... less than human form.

He had noticed it that first day. The first time he had transformed in almost a decade. Although he knew that in his hybrid form he should be stronger, faster... but the truth be told there wasn't that much of a difference between his abilities as a human and as a werecheetah. This led him to one thing.

Having neglected his nature for so long, he hadn't had the time to become accustomed to it. So, he would head out to this spot every day to train. Already he had noticed significant improvement as he became more and more adept at using the abilities that he had neglected for so long.

Today was different, however. He didn't intend to train all that much. He was going to take Tofu's advice. To rest... in his own way.

First, he was going to see how the things that Tofu had given him would affect him in combat. He wasn't 100 certain, but he was fairly sure that although he could transform his abilities weren't magickal. So the Anti-magick pendant shouldn't effect him. Luckily, it didn't have any noticeable effect.

Then he looked at that book. He opened it to see what he had seen last night. A page filled with random lines and circles. It hardly even looked like a language, more of some weird assortment of simple drawings. What appeared to be 'words' might cover the entire page at the same time as other 'words' appeared to be written on top of it.

Digging in his pocket for a moment, he fished out the small gold ring that Tofu had given him. Looking at it, unsure if it was really powerful enough to enable him to understand the weird gibbledygook in the book. Giving it a second glance, he was unsure if the ring was even going to fit on his finger.

Trying it on, he found that it had somehow... gotten a little bit bigger, just enough to fit comfortably on his finger. But other than that, he felt no change.

He looked into the book.

Nope, still couldn't read it.

Wait. The pendant. It was anti-magick. Of course the ring wouldn't work if it was activated.

Rhys thought for a moment. That was something he hadn't thought of before. If he needed to use the book or the ring, he would have to turn off the pendant. But in doing that all the magickal items the hunter had would suddenly spring back into action. Including his sword. A sword Rhys didn't want to be in the same room as.

That complicated things.

Rhys thought for a moment. A sword that was good against werecreatures but not anything else... He had an idea, but he wasn't sure if it would work.

Shaking the thought from his head, he turned back to the book.

* * *

A small while later, Rhys laid in the middle of the clearing, breathing deeply. The clearing was torn apart. The same tree laid to his left, right, and behind him. There was a large gouge in the earth in front of him and a large pile of shredded wood off to one side.

Who knew magick could be so hard?

It had been hours and the most Rhys could do was the easiest of spells in the book. And even then they sometimes had other unwanted effects. A simple shield spell had somehow caused a huge torrent of air to come flying out and completely demolish several trees. The shield came up but... not much good if something gets shredded every time he did it.

His previous plans for incorporating the spells into his fighting style were quickly tossed aside. The spells required concentration and a verbal command; something that would make dodging blows very difficult. If he could use the spells without the book perhaps but there was no way otherwise.

Hell... if he had another week, he was pretty sure he could find some way around it. But the time stated on the letter was for noon tomorrow.

He was out of time.

Rhys just lied there, thinking. The book on his chest. He simply stared upwards into the sky as it started to change colors as dusk started to fall. The moon above him cast a shadow down on him. There was a lunar eclipse tomorrow.

Tomorrow... he was going to be fighting for his life. That wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. Living with Genma on the road for all that time had been a fight for his life.

But this time it was different. He had always fought to save his own skin. To stay alive. The only thing that kept him going was the gut feeling that his sister was alive.

His sister...

He closed his eyes. Damnit. He didn't even... he didn't even know her name. She had been so young mother and father had still been trying to agree on a name.

Opening his eyes, a sour expression came to his face as he shoved that thought aside. He didn't have time to think about that, no matter how much it still hurt him. He had grown accustomed to it.

This time... this time he wasn't fighting to save himself. He was fighting to save Ukyo. And he wasn't going to lose.

* * *

**Ribbon: **Ribbon is a language form Gold Digger that the dragons primarily used in their writings. Gina Diggers described it best when she said that it looked like circuitry. Like the lines on a mother board or computer chip.

**Magickal Item Fact: **A magickal item that is intended to be worn can change size to fit the user. Therefore a magickal ring could fit both a child and a giant. A suit of plate mail could fit anyone, not just the person it was made to fit. Example: if Rhys wore armor and then got splashed with water, the armor would change to accommodate the changes to his body. Magickal items are also unbreakable, except when it is broken by another magickal item that is significantly more powerful.

_Next Chapter! The beginning of the fight! I pretty much have it planned out how I want to go and it's not gonna be strait forward! Watch and see, bitches! _


	15. Ch14 The Hunter and the Hunted

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: The Hunter and the Hunted

* * *

It was quiet. Very quiet.

The building talked about in the message was on the outskirts of Tokyo in an old business district. The building itself was a seven or eight story tall old office building. Many of its windows were gone, long since broken. The front doors were cracked; one of them was simply a black tarp taped to the frame after the glass had completely broken.

Rhys' shoes crunched on the small shards of glass that littered the area in front of the doors. There was a small pile of wood to the side that was splintered and riddled with nails. This was the wood that used to have been nailed in front of the doors to bar entry. The plaster on the building had huge chunks missing where someone had pulled the wood from it.

The door came open smoothly. It was dark. Very dark. The only light came from a few front windows that weren't covered over. Ranma quickly shifted into his hybrid form to better see in the dim lighting.

The room was empty of anything save for the remains of a front desk that had everything from spray paint cans to grocery bags to liquor bottles strewn on top of it. A soiled and somewhat bloody mattress laid propped up in the corner. The reek of a whole slew of dead things filled the air, accented by the sickening sting of old Pepsi cola.

The doors of the elevator were open slightly; one of them at an odd angle that told that it was not in working order. A small door near the mattress had a fire escape sign on it. Being as that was the only exit besides the one he just walked through, Rhys made his way towards it.

Before he could get there, he stopped cold.

He could hear someone breathing.

Behind the counter.

He instantly went into stalk mode. He quickly and silently moved over towards the desk. Crouching up against it, he listened to the breathing. It was light and slow. Whoever it was was more than likely asleep. He slowly peered over it.

Legs… ankles tied together.

Skirt… check.

Arms… he'd hope so.

Brown hair…. Nabiki.

He flipped over it quickly and silently. He gently shook her to wake her up. Lying on a pile of broken down cardboard boxes couldn't be that comfortable.

Nabiki mumbled something.

"Yo," Rhys said quietly, "Nabiki. Wake up."

"Huh?" She opened her eyes slightly. She then snapped awake and quickly sat up, "R-Ranma!?"

"Behind you," He said. He reached down and took hold of the rope that tied her hands together. He used one of his claws to slice through it. He then did the same for the rope on her legs. Afterwards they both stood up.

Nabiki turned to him and began to say something but stopped when she noticed that all she could see was the front of his red silk shirt.

"Up here," Rhys said, looking down at her.

Nabiki glanced up to see Rhys' face, covered in fur with slitted eyes and cat ears.

Rhys was wearing one of his red silk Chinese shirts and black silk pants. Instead of them being extremely tight, they seemed to be either made for someone that tall or tailored to be so that someone that tall could wear them easily. He had a gold pendant on that was tied around his neck with a piece of twine. A what Nabiki assumed to be white gold ring on his left hand. He also had a small pack slung over his shoulder so that it couldn't fall out. There was a large book inside of it.

"Uh…" Was all she could say at first. She then shook her head. She then said, "Um… thank's Ra… uh… Rhys."

"No sweat," Rhys said quickly, "Where's Ukyo?"

"Top floor," Nabiki said, "I… I don't know where _he_ is?"

Rhys nodded.

"Now get out of here," Rhys said, "This could get messy and I don't want you to get caught up in it any more than you already have."

"Yeah," Nabiki said, rubbing her wrists as she quickly went around the counter and towards the door. She paused briefly before she exited.

Rhys hopped back over the counter and headed towards the fire escape.

"Rhys?" Nabiki called to him.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"…" Nabiki paused, "Be careful."

Rhys smirked.

"Heh," he told her, "Don't worry about me, just get to a safe place, okay?"

Nabiki nodded and quickly exited the building. At the same time, Rhys had made it to the fire escape.

The door squeaked horrible, making his ears ring. He cast a harsh glare at the offending hinge.

The fire escape was almost pitch black. The only light came from a flickering light bulb at the top of the stairs that cast light down through the spiral of concrete stairs.

* * *

Rhys flipped over the handrail. Why walk up the stairs when jumping is faster?

Directly in front of him was a door. In the flickering lights, he could see that it had a 8 painted onto it. The handle was the type that would trigger an alarm if opened. He opened the door, but the alarm didn't go off.

The area it exited into was small. The end of a hallway. The walls on either side were the cheap kind that you could set up and move around easily depending on what layout you wanted. Weak and easy to hear through. Rhys listened.

Nothing. Either she weren't nearby or…

Rhys didn't even let that that thought complete itself as he started to quietly make his way towards the end of the hall. On the way there, he activated the pendent he was wearing. It shone in the dark for a moment. After that, he took a deep breath.

If he couldn't use his hearing to find her, he could certainly use his nose. Even though the harsh smell also permeated this floor, Ukyo's scent wasn't that hard to pick out. He quickly began to move towards it.

The doors all along the hallway stood wide open, nothing but darkness in them. He gave a passing glance into each one but didn't slow.

As he glanced into one of the doors, he saw a glisten of light off silver. His instincts suddenly screamed at him. He obeyed, ducking quickly.

A sword swung over his head. It was quick, but with his speed in this form, it was almost like it was moving in slow motion. The man garbed in black that he knew of as Mr. Kounji flew from the darkness.

And so, without a word, the battle was joined.

* * *

**A Small Distance Away**

A nearby police station was inhabited by two trained and very bored policemen. The older one, a hardened man with strong features and a well kept and trimmed mustache stood on the outside. His whole domineer was one that screamed 'no nonsense'; his badge read "Tsubishi". The younger one, a man that looked to be in his early twenties that had brown hair sat inside his chin in his hands; his badge read "Toyonaka".

This part of town was old and with the exception of a few bums and nere-do-wells, it was a pretty quiet neighborhood.

The young officer almost fell backwards out of his chair as a small alarm started going off. He checked the alarm. At the same time, Officer Tsubishi glanced inside.

"What is it?" He asked.

"A fire alarm," Toyonaka said. After a few moments of checking, he sighed, "It's that old abandoned office building again."

"Damn punks messing with the fire alarm again," Tsubishi grumbled.

"Do we have to go check?" Toyonaka sighed as he slouched in his chair, "This is the fiftieth time this week that that damn alarms been tripped."

"It's our job, isn't it?" Tsubishi said, "We'll go by there an see, no use calling in to the fire department if there isn't a fire."

"Ugh," Toyonaka sighed as he exited the small station. He walked over to the small police vehicle nearby, "At least it's something. Today's been more boring than usual."

* * *

**Back at the Fight**

Rhys was dodging around blow after blow as if they were coming at him in slow motion. Mr. Kounji was obviously getting irate and Rhys was obviously getting cocky. He landed a few blows, but wasn't putting all he could into them.

That all changed as Mr. Kounji stabbed towards him, going for the neck.

Or so Rhys thought…

At the last second, Rhys noticed that the blade slid perfectly between the twine that held the pendant.

Mr. Kounji gave a wicked smirk as he slashed upwards.

The twine was easily cut and the pendant sent flying. Mr. Kounji caught it as Rhys instantly dropped into a defensive stance outside of the reach of that sword.

"A magickal artifact," Mr. Kounji said, "Where did you get this I wonder? I bet a certain doctor that doesn't know when to keep to himself gave it to you."

Rhys narrowed his eyes.

"I'll have to pay the good doctor a visit after I'm done with you," he smirked, "A magickal item is worth almost as such as a werecreatures pelt now-a-days."

"You…" Rhys said, "You do this type of thing for _money_!?"

"It is one of the better perks of the job," Mr. Kounji laughed, "Two pelts, especially werecheetah pelts, will make me a very rich man. Even more so than I already am."

"If you touch a hair on her head…" Rhys growled.

"You'll do what?" Mr. Kounji asked, pointing the sword at him, his sword suddenly shimmered and started to glow slightly in the darkness, "Without your pendant, you don't have any way of stopping from using my own magickal trinkets."

Rhys narrowed his eyes and readied himself.

Kounji flashed into motion, going much faster than he had been earlier. Rhys, although still capable of dodging the slashes, was much more hard pressed to do so. The sword flashed by him, sometimes only millimeters away from his skin. The blade would burn the fur that touched it.

Rhys ducked under a horizontal slash and hand to roll forward to avoid a vertical one as Kounji redirected the blade.

Rhys planted his hands on the floor and vaulted upwards, avoiding another slash as the blade passed underneath him. He twisted in midair to avoid another slash before touching down and dodging to the left into a doorway.

The blade clanged against the metal door frame, stopping only an inch away from Rhys' face. He leaned back as Kounji then slid the blade towards him along the doorway in an attempt to stab him.

Rhys lashed out with a kick as Kounji entered the door, scoring a hit to his mid section. He followed that up with a lightning fast palm to the sternum. He hand to pull the next punch back of his fist would have slammed into the silver blade. He had no choice but to hesitate for a moment.

That moment was all that Kounji needed to put himself back onto the offensive. A quick series of stabs made Rhys dodge to the left and right. One stab nicked his side, making him grit his teeth as the silver seared into him just a small bit.

Twisting with the blow, he brought his fist back into Kounji's head. Causing him to lurch forward. Rhys took this time to take a few steps away from him, steadying himself. He bumped up against an old desk.

Mr. Kounji yelled out in anger as he brought a fierce downward strike towards the young werecheetah. Rhys flipped backwards over the desk to avoid it. The desk was demolished. The desk bent inwards as if Kounji had the strength of a titan. Rhys just looked at it in shock for a small moment as Kounji wrenched the sword free from the mangled mess quite easily.

Kounji leapt across the mangled desk towards Rhys. Rhys, in turn, leapt up onto the next desk behind him, hopping over the slice as he did so.

Rhys almost had to dance to avoid Kounji's slashes towards his legs, leaping away from him as soon as he could. Rhys landed on the opposite side of the room.

As soon as he landed, he looked back at Kounji to see the man with his arm outstretched towards him. Small symbols danced around his hand for a brief moment. Rhys recognized those symbols. They were almost the same as when Tofu casted a spell.

"Oh shit!"

* * *

**Outside**

Nabiki ran towards the police car that was coming up to the building. The officers got out and watched as a girl in a school girl's uniform came running up to them.

"Officer!" Nabiki said, "You gotta help!"

"Whoa," Toyonaka said, "Wait, stop. Are you the one who tripped the alarm?"

"What?" Nabiki asked before shaking her head, "Forget about the alarm! You've gotta help!"

"Help with what?" Toyonaka asked, leaning up against the car, "A bum steal your purse?"

Tsubishi, however, simply looked the girl over. She was dirty and her wrists and ankles were rubbed raw by what he could only guess was rope.

"Miss," Tsubishi asked, walking up to her, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine but…" Nabiki said, pointing back to the building, to the top floor, "There's a man in there who's trying to kill someone!"

"What?" Toyonaka asked.

"Did I stutter!?" Nabiki yelled back.

"Look, look," Toyonaka said, "Calm down. We'll handle…"

He was cut off by a sudden and huge explosion from the top floor of the building. Glass, metal, and wood suddenly came raining down on them.

"Holy…!" Toyonaka yelped out, he then looked up at the gaping hole in the side of the building. He could see what looked like two people fighting up there, "Holy shit!"

* * *

**Inside**

Rhys quickly regained his footing, flipping onto his feet.

Kounji had just fired what he could only guess was a fireball at him. What appeared to be a small maybe foot wide ball of fire exploded as soon as it hit the wall, blowing a good twenty foot hole into it.

He didn't get any time to recover after that as Kounji was on him yet again, slashing away furiously.

Rhys managed to haphazardly dodge a few of the blows. He was severely off balance and was getting punished for it. The sword cut into his shoulder slightly, thankfully not where the previous cut had been. He reeled back from him, clutching his arm as the intense pain that was associated with silver erupted into his nerves.

Kounji smiled evilly as Rhys dropped his guard. He rose his sword upwards to deal a final ending blow to him.

The sword came down lightning fast but Rhys managed to dodge around it, forcing himself to go faster. He got inside of Kounji's defenses and slammed his fist into his face. And then another fist into his stomach.

Again, however, he was forced to relent in his offense because of the silver blade. It also didn't help that his arm was almost numb from the pain that was coursing through it.

The next slash was avoided, but was only used to open up Rhys for a brutal kick to the face that sent him most of the way across the room, slamming into and knocking over one of the wall sections.

Rhys got up as quickly as possible, his temple split open from the sheer strength behind that kick. Kounji was strong. Extremely strong. He'd wager he was even stronger than Ryoga!

Kounji was on him in an instant. A slash towards Rhys neck was avoided by leaning backwards. The slash towards his stomach was avoided by hopping backwards…

Which opened him up for a blindingly fast kick to the chest sending him across the room again. He managed to stay on his feet however, but fell to one knee after coming to a stop.

A wicked downward slash that came strait for his face. He brought his hands up to block at the same time he tried his hardest to concentrate on the book in his pack.

Kounji smirked wickedly as he saw the boy bring up his arms to block. He was sure that this would be the killing blow.

Just before his sword could touch the boy, something happened. The sword stopped, as if he had just slammed it into a solid steel wall. The air between the sword and the boy shimmered.

"Air Shield!" Rhys called out. Suddenly, a torrent of wind suddenly blasted Kounji in the face. The sword flew from his hands and out the huge hole he had made just a small while ago.

* * *

**Outside**

"We need the fire department!" Tsubishi yelled into the radio, "Police back up, the works! We've got two people with what can only be heavy artillery fighting in an old abandoned office building! I repeat, we've got two hostiles with heavy artillery in an old…"

There was another huge blast from the building. This time it had no fire, but all of the windows in that one part of the building suddenly exploded. Toyonaka grabbed Nabiki and pulled her down behind the car door to shield her from the blast.

There was a loud clang from the car door. Both Nabiki and officer Toyonaka stared dumbly at the sword blade that suddenly erupted from the inside of the car door in-between them, missing both of their heads by mere inches.

* * *

**Inside**

Kounji picked himself up slowly. The air that had exploded out at him had torn his clothes horribly and left many a cut and slash across his chest and upper arms. He looks to see Rhys standing up as well, a good ten or so feet away.

"I see you aren't without your tricks," He snickered, "I hadn't suspected you a magick user."

"Where is she, old man!?" Rhys said loudly.

"Heh," Kounji said, "Still thinking about _her_. If you don't have your mind in the fight, you could end up dead!"

And with that he raised his hand, showing that he had a ring on that hand as well. It glowed for a small moment. Rhys readied himself to dodge anything that came his way.

He didn't expect, however, for Kounji to disappear, a small popping noise coming from where he had been.. The thought of 'where'd he go' had barely even entered his head when he suddenly heard a similar popping sound from behind him. He didn't have a chance to respond to it before something hit him front behind, sending him across the room and through yet another wall.

The wall section collapse down below him. He shook his head to try and rid the cobwebs, but he wasn't fast enough. Another set of popping sounds, and Kounji was suddenly on top of him, holding him down.

"Heheheheh…" Kounji laughed darkly, "How fitting that only now we stumble into _this_ room."

Kounji lifted Rhys head up by his hair before he slammed it down onto the floor, breaking the wall section even further.

He then lifted Rhys' head again.

"You wanted to know where she was…" Kounji said quietly into his ear before he simply looked forward.

Rhys opened one of his eyes to look forward. A split second after that, he opened both his eyes wide.

_Note: I know. I'm evil. Thank you for asking. And I like cliff hangers. They keep people reading._

_I actually have the next chapter already written, but I'm not going to uploading at least until tomorrow. I'll just let you stew and try and figure out what the hell's gonna happen next._

_Ja ne. _


	16. Ch15 Lunar Rave

**Chapter Fifteen: Lunar Rave**

* * *

**Last Time…**

* * *

The wall section collapse down below him. He shook his head to try and rid the cobwebs, but he wasn't fast enough. Another set of popping sounds, and Kounji was suddenly on top of him, holding him down.

"Heheheheh…" Kounji laughed darkly, "How fitting that only now we stumble into_this_ room."

Kounji lifted Rhys head up by his hair before he slammed it down onto the floor, breaking the wall section even further.

He then lifted Rhys' head again.

"You wanted to know where she was…" Kounji said quietly into his ear before he simply looked forward.

Rhys opened one of his eyes to look forward. A split second after that, he opened both his eyes wide.

There she was, lying there up against the wall, striped of clothing and chained to the wall by a collar that was around her neck. Her fur was matted with her own blood,dried blood was splattered in the surrounding area. She was stock still. The bandages that she had worn around her arms to cover up the silver burns were partially unraveled.

Rhys just stared at her in shock and disbelief.

"Oh, don't worry," Kounji said, "She isn't dead… yet."

"You… you bastard!" Rhys growled out, trying to get up, but found himself to weak to resist Kounji's magickally enhanced strength, "How… could you! She was your…"

Kounji's face curled in anger as he began to say that phrase. He slammed Rhys' head down into the wall section again to silence him.

"She was my daughter until _you_," He spat the word, "turned her into a _freak_!"

Rhys gritted his teeth, blood starting to run down his face.

Kounji closed his eyes and calmed down a small bit.

"In a small while," He said in a sickeningly evil yet gleeful tone, "you'll be dead. And soon there after, so will she. Be thankful that she won't be awake when it happens!"

Rhys growled out an unintelligible mess of mashed together words.

Kounji continued to hold him down as he pulled a silver knife from his waist. He sat upright as he did this.

Rhys opened his eyes to looked up at Ukyo's still form. He felt something inside him pulse. The anger. The hatred. His growling got louder and louder.

It seemed almost as if the room was becoming darker and darker.

* * *

**Outside**

Toyonaka and Nabiki, having recovered from their brush with death by the means of high speed katana, stood up.

Did it seem… darker?

Nabiki looked up, wondering who was turning off the lights. She used to hands to shield her eyes. Toyonaka did the same.

"Huh?" He asked.

"What's going on?" Nabiki asked.

"Uh…" He said smartly, "Oh yeah. There's a solar eclipse today. I nearly forgot about it."

* * *

**Inside**

Kounji raised the blade up, preparing to bring it down on the werecheetah.

"I have to admit," He said, "You've been the hardest kill yet, boy."

Rhys only replied with growling.

Kounji simply laughed a sadistic laugh. He reading himself to strike, an insane look coming to his eyes.

Rhys could feel his heart beating faster and faster. Each time it did… that feeling of anger and hatred pulsated, clouding his eyes. He quite literally was seeing red.

With each pulse, he felt the intense pain in his arm grow weaker and weaker. He felt strength starting to course through him.

Kounji, who was just about to plunge the blade into the werecheetah's back, hesitated. Something was off.

The boy… he was transforming?

But this wasn't the same as any transformation he had ever seen. He was growing larger.

Rhys pushed off of the ground. And slowly yet surely, he rose.

Kounji's mind raced. This was impossible! Not even an ogre could get out of his grip!

After a few seconds of racing thoughts, he came the proverbial conclusion equivalent to 'fuck it' and brought the blade down upon the werecheetah before he could get up.

The next thing he knew, he was thrown from the boys back, the blade wrenched from his hand. He landed on his back, sliding until he hit a wall. He looked up to see Rhys standing, the silver blade in his hand, a visible aura surrounding him and a constant wind lashing around him.

Rhys glanced down to the silver blade in his hand. It burned him, but he just looked at it almost casually. He clenched his fist before he threw it to the side, the blade horribly bent out of shape and useless.

Rhys slowly walked over to Ukyo, bending down to carefully pick her limp form up. He snapped the chain from the wall easily and gingerly picked her up as if she would come apart in even a gentle breeze.

Kounji stood. This boy… is ignoring him! How dare he!

Kounji burst into motion, going towards the werecheetah at full tilt.

He was halted dead in his tracks when the boy turned to face him with Ukyo in his hands.

The boys face held no anger. Only sadness. His eyes glowed green as if they were orbs of energy.

Kounji steeled his nerves and continued towards the two, whirling another blade from behind him. Leaping through the air, he came down, aiming the blade towards Ukyo's neck.

Rhys' expression changed from sadness to anger once again. And with a quiet voice he said two simple words.

"Air Shield."

Kounji was blasted backwards; flying through a wall and then through another. His blade lost somewhere in flight. He impacted the ground and slid across it until he slipped outside of a window.

* * *

**Outside**

"Whoa!" Toyonaka said as he saw a man garbed in black sudden slid out of the window.

The man, luckily, managed to grab the edge.

"That's him!" Nabiki said, "That's the guy who kidnapped me!"

"You were kidnapped!?" Toyonaka asked loudly.

"Well, yeah! I don't come out to this part of town because I want to!" Nabiki yelled back at him.

"Then why didn't you say so!?" Toyonaka shouted back.

"I was kinda distracted by the explosions, okay!?" Nabiki yelled back at him.

"Where the hell is the damn backup!?!" Was all Tsubishi had to ask.

* * *

**Inside**

Kounji slowly climbed back into the window. Rhys was now walking towards the fire escape with Ukyo in hand.

It was at that, Kounji started to laugh.

"Heheheh…" He started, "Hehahahaha… Hahahahahaha!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Rhys stopped.

"You'll never make it out!" Kounji yelled at him, "This entire building is rigged to explode! And it should be going off any second now! You'll both die with me! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Rhys closed his eyes for a moment. He then gingerly placed Ukyo down onto the floor.

He turned to face the laughing man. He reached his hand out towards him. The book from his pack floated up in front of him and flipped itself open. Symbols began to dance around his arm, spinning around and around.

And with that, he said one thing.

"Heavens Judgment."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Kounji laughed, "AHAHAHAHAHA… huh?"

* * *

**Outside**

"Where the fuck have you guys been!?" Tsubishi yelled as cars of policemen began to show up.

"Guns aren't really legal in this country, you know!" An officer said back, "You know the shit we have to do before we can get them!"

"Well, it's about damn time!" Tsubishi yelled back.

There was a sudden stillness that seemed to permeate the area… as if the area itself was anticipating something catastrophic.

"Huh?" Tsubishi said as he looked around. Everyone else seemed to do so as well.

And then it came.

A brilliant light and a man screaming caused them to look up towards the building once more. And in a maelstrom of wind, fire, and electricity, they saw the man that was standing in the window disappear as a huge blast of energy consumed him. The screams were silenced by the horrendous boom that was caused by this, a sound exactly as if lightning had just struck the ground.

The blast faded slowly. The thunder echoed off into the distance for miles. Even so, electricity still arced around the opening that the blast had gone through. The area began to brighten as the solar eclipse started to pass.

"Holy shit…" Toyonaka said quietly.

* * *

**Inside**

Rhys stood there, his hand smoking slightly and the area in front of him totally destroyed. His eyes dimmed, going back to normal. He lowered his hand.

He paused for a moment before he put the book back into the satchel that he wore. He turned to Ukyo.

It was at that moment that the first explosion came, rocking the foundation of the building. He looked around in shock for a split second before another one came.

There goes the first and second floor.

He, as quickly but as gently as possible, picked up Ukyo. Another explosion.

As he turned towards the window, the building started to buckle, the floor began to tilt. He nearly lost his balance. Another explosion.

He leapt over the desks in the adjacent room. Another explosion.

The building shivered and his run became an uphill struggle. Another explosion.

The opening was right there, in front of him. Another explosion.

He leapt.

* * *

**Down on the Streets**

Down on the ground, Toyonaka suddenly pulled Nabiki away from the building as it started to explode. Nabiki tried to watch, but she couldn't as Toyonaka pulled her away. The building started to collapse.

She was pulled towards the building on the other side of the road. All of the police were running that way.

As she got to relative safety, she turned back towards the building, now settling into a pile of rubble and fire. And as if on cue, the sirens of fire trucks came blaring down the road towards them.

* * *

**A Small While Later**

Nabiki spent the next hour or so talking to the police back at the station. She reported that a man had kidnapped both her and his daughter to use as bait for one of the nearby martial artists. She was quickly identified as Kasumi had reported her kidnapped a few days prior.

And then, she waited. Her thoughts were constantly on Ran… Rhys and Ukyo. She was certain that he had won but… no one could have survived the building exploding. Not even a werecreature. Her thoughts were plagued by the thought of them not making it. And as she sat there thinking, she remembered Ukyo's half conscious tale of how she became like she was. Nabiki couldn't stop tears from coming to her eyes.

She was afraid. She was just now realizing that she could just as easily been in there with them when the building blew up. Rhys… had saved her life… and had sacrificed himself trying to save Ukyo.

She was wrenched from those thoughts as a loud bang came from the entrance to the station nearby.

"Where is she!?" She heard her father yelled, "WHERE IS SHE!?!"

She stood up slowly as a few officers ran over to the door at first to take care of the crazy person who had just busted in screaming like a mad man. They then went to trying to calm him down as they saw what state he was in.

Nabiki ran strait past the officers and strait to Soun.

"Daddy!" She yelled as she latched onto him, tears continuing to flow down her face.

Soun, impressively, wasn't crying. His face was one of sheer determination. He simply put his arms around his daughter and held her tightly. Akane and Kasumi rushed up immediately there after.

People all over the city tuned in the news that evening to hear about the building exploding and the kidnapping and murder involved. Dr. Tofu was one of them.

"Earlier today a building out in the outskirts of Tokyo exploded right in front of Officer Toyonaka and Officer Tsubishi after a mad man kidnapped both a local high school girl and her own daughter, holding them both for ransom," The anchor lady said, "The high school student Tendo Nabiki was found outside of the building by the two officers minutes before the building exploding. Ms. Tendo informed them that another local high school student and martial artists one Saotome Ranma had rescued her and had confronted their kidnapper, one Kounji Takeshi."

"The two officers had arrived on the scene to check out a fire alarm that had been triggered in that area. The two men say that over the past week that there have been almost thirty fire alarms triggered in that building but when checked, the building was completely fine."

The camera then went to Toyonaka.

"We checked the building every single time," Toyonaka said, "The doors had been pried open, but we originally just thought it was some kids pulling pranks or something."

"Miss Tendo," The anchor woman said, "and Miss Kounji Ukyo had been kidnapped earlier this week. Although no one witnessed Miss Tendo being kidnapped, apparently Miss Kounji was kidnapped right in front of the entire Furinkan student body by what was described as a man dressed like a ninja."

"Yeah, the guy came in all ninja-like," The camera now showing Hiroshi, one of Ranma and Akane's classmates, "Ukyo flipped out when he came out and tried to run but he lassoed her with rope. And then he was like _BAMF_ and disappeared."

"Officers agree that the fire alarms in the building were triggered by Mr. Kounji using the fire escape to enter and exit the building," The anchor woman said, "It is certain that Mr. Kounji died in a large explosion of some kind that came before the explosions that brought the building down. It is unsure if Mr. Saotome or Miss. Kounji survived the blast. No bodies have yet been found."

The camera then showed Genma standing there.

"No mere explosion would kill my son!" He yelled, "It's a martial artists duty to protect the weak and that's just what he did."

"Although Saotome Genma, Ranma's father, is adamant that his son survived, officials doubt that he could have survived the blast. Firefighters struggled to fight the fire for almost an hour before this evenings rain finally extinguished it. All of us at this news station pray that Mr. Saotome and Miss Kounji are alive."

Tofu was distracted when there came a loud pounding on the front door to the clinic. He quickly bolted towards the door and opened it.

Rhys stood there in the pouring rain. Rhys had put her red shirt onto Ukyo, leaving her with a black tank top underneath.

"Hey, doc," she said weakly.

"Rhys!" Tofu said, "Come in! Come in!"

She entered and followed Tofu back into the back quickly. As soon as she got into a room, she placed Ukyo down upon the bed.

Tofu looked Ukyo over to assess her wounds.

"She gonna… be okay?" Rhys said, breathing heavily.

"I'm…" Tofu said, not sounding very sure of himself, "I'm not sure. She's pretty badly hurt."

"Just tell me she'll be okay," Rhys said, looking down, "Even if it's a lie, just tell me that she's gonna be okay..."

Tofu glanced up at her. Rhys looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"She'll be fine," Tofu said much more confidently, "I promise you I will do everything in my power to make her so."

Rhys looked up at him.

"Thanks, doc…" She said, looking back down at Ukyo.

"You…" Tofu said, looking up at her, "You look like hell."

Rhys laughed, wiping some of the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, I kinda feel it too…" She said.

"Look," Tofu said, walking around the table, putting his hand on her shoulder, "Why don't you go lay down. Once I'm done with Ukyo I'll come check up on you."

"No, I wanna stay here… with her…" Rhys said.

"Rhys," Tofu said sternly, "Trust me. I'll make sure Ukyo's fine. You need to rest."

Rhys looked up at him.

"Trust me," Tofu repeated.

Rhys looked down for a moment.

"Alright…" She said, wiping more tears away from her eyes. She then nodded, "Alright… I trust ya."

* * *

**A Small While Later**

"How is she?" Rhys asked as Tofu entered the room. She hadn't even switched back to male. She was too concerned about Ukyo.

"She's improving," Tofu said, "He did a real number on her. She has a concussion and a broken arm, both of which caused by something silver. She probably won't remember much of the past week. The concussion and soul char probably made her delirious."

Rhys just looked down.

"It's my fault," She said, tearing up, "I'm the reason why this happened to her. I'm…"

"Rhys, no," Tofu said sternly, putting his hand on her shoulder. Rhys looked up at him, "It was an accident. It wasn't your fault. You said yourself you don't remember it happening."

"But if it wasn't for me she wouldn't…" Rhys said weakly.

"If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't be lying in that room injure," Tofu said. At first this just made Rhys feel worse, but then he continued, "She'd still be in that building."

Rhys sniffed.

"You saved her life, Rhys," Tofu said, "Her father would have killed her if it wasn't for you."

Rhys stayed quite, just looking down for a moment. She sniffed a few more times.

And then she chuckled weakly.

"What?" Tofu asked, kinda confused but glad to see that she was laughing.

"I…" She said, "I kinda lost your pendant."

Tofu laughed.

"Don't worry," He said in a chipper voice, "I've got tons of the things."

Rhys laughed. She then fell quiet again.

"Thanks, Doc," She said, "For everythin'."

* * *

**The Next Day, The Tendo Dojo**

Nabiki hadn't gone to school today. Soun had actually forbid her from going. She had to agree with him, she didn't want to show her face at school until she had pulled herself together again. Her thoughts just kept drifting back towards Ukyo and Ra… and Rhys.

She was torn from her thoughts when she heard Kasumi set down a glass of tea on the table in front of her.

"You okay?" Kasumi asked, sitting beside her.

"Y-yeah," Nabiki said, before she chuckled, "Just a little bit shaken up, I guess."

Kasumi smiled.

Nabiki picked up the cup of tea and looked at it. She brought it up to her lips, but stopped. She pulled it away. Kasumi watched as she did this.

"It's about Ranma, isn't it?" Kasumi supplied.

"Y-yeah," Nabiki said, "You could always read me like a book…"

Kasumi set her tea down.

"You…" Kasumi said, "Think he's alive?"

Nabiki paused for a moment.

She then nodded.

"Yeah," Nabiki said, blushing slightly, "I think he is. Don't ask me why, but I do. He… he saved my life, Kasumi. I would have been in that building if not for him."

She then took a sip of tea.

"Does Nabiki-chan have a small crush on Saotome-san?" Kasumi said jokingly.

"Gak!" Nabiki said, almost choking on the tea before shaking her head, "Nononononono. No way. I just… I just want to thank him."

Kasumi nodded and sipped her own tea.

"And to tell you the truth," Nabiki said, "I don't think Akane has to worry about marrying him."

"Hmm?" Kasumi asked, "Why's that?"

"Because," Nabiki said, "When he cut the ropes off me, the first thing he asked was where Ukyo was. He felt… responsible for what had happened to her. And after seeing that fight…"

Nabiki paused and smiled.

"Well," She said, "As Ranma would say, 'there ain't no way in hell he's gonna marry anybody else'."

"Oh, my," Kasumi said, "Really?"

"I'd bet money on it," Nabiki said, "And you know me, I never bet on anything that I don't know is 100 guaranteed to happen."

* * *

**Tofu's Clinic**

Ukyo's world suddenly started turning again. The pain in her head, her arm… it all came back to her.

At first she didn't want to open her eyes. She didn't want to see that ceiling or see the cold tiles on the floor.

It was only after a small while later that she realized… the cold was gone. She was warm. And she was lying in a bed.

She slowly opened her eyes. The bright light hurting them.

She was still half way expecting to see her fathers face looking down at her. And there was someone looking down at her. But her vision was so blurry that she could see who it was.

She heard someone call her name, but she could barely hear it. It was as if they were muffled.

But clarity slowly came to her vision and the voice slowly grew clearer.

She blinked a few times, only then able to focus her eyes on the person above her.

"R… Rhys…?" She said, her voice weak.

The furry face looking down at her smile.

"Hey, Uc-chan," Rhys said back.

"Rhys!" She yelled as she reached up towards him. Rhys did the same, hugging her back. Rhys just stayed there, rubbing the her back as she cried into his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Uc-chan," He said, "I'm never gonna let anything ever happen to you again."

They stayed hugging like that for what felt like an eternity.

* * *

_LINES!!!_

* * *

_Finally, the whole hunter arc is over. And quite an ending! This is some of my favorite stuff I've done and I've done a LOT! Almost 90 of the stuff I've written was wiped out when my computer failed last year. I had damn near 30 stories that I was writing AT ONCE. Not very good for getting stories completed though._

_I hope everyone's satisfied by this ending. I am._

_But don't let that fool you, I've got more planned! A hell of a lot more! Hell, Rhys hasn't even found his sister yet! And I haven't explained how Shampoo knows him or why he doesn't have the Kiss of Marriage. I've got that planned out to be next. It's not gonna be a huge thing like the whole Hunter thing, but it'll at least be interesting._

_A teaser for the next huge part? Involves vampyrs. Heheheheh…_

_It'll be a little while before I get that pumped out though. I'm gonna work of Okami for a little while next and let some ideas formulate in my skull._

_Oh, and if you wanted a teaser for the next part of Okami… I'm thinkin' a little dab of Oh! My Goddess may be in order. More deific powers is always a good thing._

_It may be a while before the next update though. I'm workin' like a dog helpin' my brother in law with his construction buisness. Starting tomorrow we have a job to clean and paint an entire house with just the two of us to do it. Needless to say, I'm not gonna have much free time for a few weeks. But I'll be getting over a grand to do it, so...  
_

_TTFN, Bostitches! _


	17. Ch16 It Ain't Over Till Its Over

Chapter Sixteen: It Ain't Over Till Its Over Chapter Sixteen: It Ain't Over Till Its Over

_Let it be known, all who read of this story. No act is random, no happening is pure happenstance. Fate, the inner workings of the universe, is something not even the gods can escape._

_It is written that the purity of one family and the burning fires of another will bring down the dark lord of the dead. _

_But fate is fickle and bendable. The destination may be set into stone, but how one gets there is never pre-ordained. _

**Somewhere in another realm…**

"An interesting fight, no?" A voice, smooth and silky yet dark and cold.

"Quite," A much deeper voice said, "But I still do not understand why you have brought something like this to my attention."

The room was dark, lit only by a swirling pool of bright blue green energy contained in a large cauldron in the middle of the floor. There were several shadows surrounding the perimeter of the room and two more shadows standing next to the cauldron. Although the light was not bright enough to illuminate their features, it was obvious that the silky voice came from a tall, shapely woman and the deeper voice from a rather intimidating looking man.

"Simple," The silky voice answered, "Not only does the older gentlemen have promise as a servant, but doesn't the human girl share a striking resemblance to someone you know?"

There was a pause as the large man looked into the cauldron again. There was a glint as the man suddenly started to smile wickedly; his canines much longer than normal.

"Yes, well done, Natalia…" He chuckled, "Do we know where this is?"

"In the Earth Realm," the woman, Natalia, said, "In the land called Japan."

"Very well," The man said, "Raiden!"

A figure suddenly fell from above, landing without a sound. It slowly stood.

"You called, Master?" The figure said.

"Prepare an expedition," The man said, "You will go to this 'Japan' and acquire what I need to finally be free of this place."

"It will be done, Master," The figure bowed and started to move away.

"Oh, and Raiden…" The man called out.

The figure stopped.

"Make sure not to hurt the poor girl," The man said, "Not yet."

**Nerima**

Ranma tried to open the front door to the Tendo residence as slowly and quietly as possible. He wasn't very excited about the possibility of someone noticing his entrance. Especially if it was Genma.

Of course, he didn't really have any doubt that the reception would be a warm one. Probably 'thank you's' and the occasional word from Genma about how Ranma's victory was really all because of him.

Truthfully, the only reason he didn't want any welcome at all was because he had a lot on his mind at the moment and really just wanted to be left alone. The only reason why he was back at the Tendo's was at Tofu's behest.

He hadn't really slept very much for a few days now, ever since he rescued Ukyo. She was still in critical condition but she was recovering, albeit slowly because of the nature of her injuries. And he didn't have any money to check himself into a local bathhouse, so he was forced to come back to the Tendo's. It was pretty late and he was hoping everyone was asleep.

The door squeaked rather loudly all of a sudden. He flinched and froze.

…

Nothing. He sighed in relief. Stepping inside, he slowly closed the door. It squeaked again, but not nearly as loudly.

He started to walk towards the stairs. His head drooping downward from the weigh of both the fatigue and his restless thoughts. As he passed through the living room, he heard a voice call out.

"Ranma?"

He stopped, sighing. He slowly turned.

Nabiki was sitting in the large easy chair that no one ever used. She was sitting underneath a blanket holding a glass of water. The TV was turned on, but was nearly muted. She smiled.

"You're… alive…" Nabiki said.

"Um… yeah,' Ranma said.

"How's…" Nabiki stopped.

"She's still in critical condition," Ranma looked down, "But she's recovering."

"Oh. That's good."

There was a pause.

"I guess…" Nabiki said, "All I have to say is thank you. If everyone else was still awake, they'd say the same things."

"Heh," Ranma chuckled and looked down, shifting his position, "Don't worry about it. All in a days work. But… why are you up so late? It's almost midnight."

"I… haven't been able to get much sleep… ever since I got home," Nabiki said, "I guess I'm still a bit shaken up… because of the whole kidnapping thing and all."

She shook her head.

"Anyway," She continued, "I can't thank you enough and… I promise that I won't ever tell anyone."

"Thanks/"

**Outside Furinkan**

Ranma dreaded what was about to happen. This morning was bad enough as it is, but that was only four people. At least Akane hadn't gotten angry at him as of yet. But Furinkan had hundreds of people who had seen that damn news report. He already had a good idea what was going to happen as soon as he set foot onto school property. He had already heard from Nabiki this morning that a lot of the girls were calling him some sort of knight in shining armor.

Ranma sighed. Might as well get it over with.

**A Few Hours Later**

Today had been a living hell.

No one would shut up about it. The girls constantly went on about him going there and saving the day was so romantic and the guys constantly asked about how he survived the building blowing up like it did.

His normal response to the girls was 'yeah, whatever' or something along those lines. His response to the guys was mainly just to roll his eyes and tell them that he had leapt from a window into a dumpster full of broken down cardboard boxes or something along those lines. Exactly what he did changed each time he had to answer the question.

It was at lunch that he was finally saved from the rabid masses.

"Ranma-cat!"

Ranma had enough time to look up before he was shoved to the ground.

It took him a small moment, but he eventually regained his senses, noticing that the thing that had shoved him was hugging him.

"Shmpu?" He asked, "Cm yu leh mh uh?"

Shampoo stopped.

"What?" She asked.

Ranma then lifted his head up enough so that he was talking into the ground.

"I said, can you let me up off the ground?" He asked.

"Oh," Shampoo said. She then got off of his back, allowing Ranma to climb to his feet. He dusted himself off lightly as Shampoo again spoke, "Shampoo is glad Ranma is okay!"

"Heh," He said, "You thought something like an exploding building could kill me?"

"Yes," Shampoo said plainly.

That caused Ranma to faultier.

"Nice to see I have your vote of confidence," Ranma said sarcastically.

Shampoo smiled. She then opened her eyes in realization.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, "Shampoo came to Ranma-cat because great grandmother want to talk!"

"Really?" Ranma asked, "What about?"

"Not sure," Shampoo said, "Great grandmother no say. Just say she need to tell Ranma something. Very urgent."

"Alright," Ranma said, "I've had enough with school today. So many people have been asking my questions I can't sleep through my classes anyway."

**A small distance away from Furinkan**

"The Cat Café?" Rhys asked as the walked into the store.

"Yep," Shampoo said.

"…" Rhys said, "…A café?"

"Yes," Shampoo said, "We sell too too good ramen and tea!"

"Aah," An elderly voice said, "Rhys, it is good to see that you are okay."

"I'm fine," Rhys said. He suddenly contorted a small bit in pain as he felt something poke a rather tender area on his upper right arm, "Ah! Gees, what did you do that for, you old crone!?"

He glared at Cologne, who had poked him with the tip of her staff.

"Is this what you call fine?" Cologne said.

"Okay, so I'm a little bruised up," Rhys said, "It's nothing that'll slow me down."

"Good to hear," Cologne said, hopping back behind the counter, "Now, you must be wondering why I asked Shampoo to bring you here."

"Yeah," Rhys answered.

"A few days ago, both Shampoo and I sense a large amount of magickal energy from somewhere within the city," She said, "We both assumed this was because of your fight with the hunter."

"Doc gave me a spell book," Rhys replied, "I managed to cast a few of them in the fight."

"I see," Cologne said, "Were any of the spells scrying spells?"

"Scrying?" Rhys answered, "No."

"I see," Cologne said, "Well, the surges of magickal energy we felt last night were primarily scrying spells. There were a few other weaker signals, but nothing close to the power of the scrying spells."

"So someone was watching the fight?" Rhys asked.

"That's a possibility," Cologne said, "To be honest, they could have been watching anything in the entire city."

"So…" Rhys said, "What does this have to do with me?"

"Half of the reason why I sent Shampoo to find you was to make sure you were still alive," Cologne said, "The other half is because yesterday we noticed that the scrying spells were suddenly active again. This time, the presence lasted for a great deal longer, allowing us to find out where whoever it was using the spells was looking."

"Lemme guess," Rhys said, "The clinic?"

"No."

"Uh… the school?"

"No."

"The subway?"

"Why would they be looking in the subway?"

"I dunno, that's where I meet up with Tofu and the others to talk about the progress on finding my sister."

"I see. But no, they were not looking into the subway."

"Then where?"

"The Tendo residence."

Rhys looked confused.

"Why would anyone want to spy on the Tendos?" Rhys asked.

"We do not know," Cologne answered, "But the troubling thing was that a small while ago, we sensed something else. Necromancy."

"Necro-what?"

"Necromancy," Cologne said, "The undead."

"You mean like zombies and vampyrs?" Rhys asked, doubtful.

Cologne nodded.

"Yeah right," Rhys said, "Why would anyone want to send zombies or something to the Tendo's place?"

"We are not sure, but I felt it necessary to tell you so that you can be on guard for anything out of the ordinary," Cologne said.

Rhys sighed.

"Alright," He said, "I'll keep a look out."

"Good," Cologne said, "And with that out of the way, how is young Miss Kounji doing?"

"She's…" Rhys said, standing, "She was pretty badly hurt when I got to her, but she's recovering. Doc says she'll be healed enough to walk around in a week or so."

"That's good to hear," Cologne said, "Well, we'll be in touch if anything happens that I feel you should know about."

**The Tendos**

Ranma waited a few hours before heading back to the house. A little time to stretch his legs and to visit tofu and see how Ukyo was doing.

He strolled into the front gate and looked around the yard.

Nope, no shambling zombies.

Shaking his head, he walked into the abode and was about to call out that he was home before he was stopped.

By a hammer.

Slamming down on top of his head.

"You pervert!" Akane yelled.

Ranma threw the hammer away from him and pushed himself up.

"What the hell did I do this time!?" He yelled back.

"You ran off with that hussy, that's what you did!" Akane said.

"Her grandmother wanted to tell me something!" Ranma said.

"Yeah right!" Akane yelled back, "Now you're trying to involve some helpless old lady in your perverted schemes!"

"I'm not scheming anything!" Ranma retorted, "And the old bat is far from helpless anyway!"

"Floozy!?" Soun suddenly yelled out, "What floozie!?"

"Oh, why is my son so dishonorable?" Genma wailed, "I demand to know who this girl is!"

It might have taken them a few moments, but this was inevitable.

"Oh, you already know them," Ranma said, looking at Genma, "From China."

Genma's face with pale for a few seconds before both his confidence and color returned… somewhat.

"I-I will not allow you to see that girl!" Genma said.

"You know that isn't gonna happen," Ranma told him, "They followed us… or really, they followed _YOU_ all the way from china… remember?"

Genma went pale again.

"What do they want with him?" Nabiki asked, poking her head in.

"Oh, Genma just happened to eat the grand prize of the…" Ranma was stopped as Genma quickly put his hand over his mouth.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Genma said, "This is no time for stories! You been lax in your training, boy!"

Ranma forced Genma hand off of him mouth.

"What the hell are you talking about, ya old bastaaaaaaaaaah!"

Genma had just thrown him out into the back yard, managing to put Ranma right into the koi pond.

"Son of a…!" Ranma-chan yelled.

And with that, they sparred.

**Somewhere in another realm…**

"Raiden, report," The deep voiced figure said, looking into the swirling pool of energy, "Why have not you brought me what I sent you to obtain?"

"My apologies, Master," Raiden's voice said from beyond the pool, "We have been hesitant to strike at this moment. It came to our attention that our actions didn't go completely unnoticed. We are preparing to get rid of the nuisance as we speak. Fear not, Master, it shall not be long."

"I may be patient, Raiden," The figure said, "But such delays will not be tolerated. When will you bring me what I seek?"

"By the week's end, Master. Have no fear of that."

"Good," The figure said, "Do not fail me, Raiden."

'Yes, Master…"

**The Neko-haten**

Shampoo suddenly perked her head upwards. She sniffed the air a few tiles before she stood up, stretching her legs. She then quickly moved towards where Cologne was.

"Great Grandmother," She said in mandarin.

"I know, Xian Pu," Cologne replied, "Another scrying spell."

"What should we do, great grandmother?" Shampoo asked.

"There is not much we can do at this point, child," Cologne said, "Not until we find out who or what is casting these spells."

"But how will we do that, great grandmother?" Shampoo hopped up onto the counter, sitting in front of the elder.

"We must prepare," Cologne said, "More than likely they will cast the spell again. And with the proper spell, we'll find out all we need to know."

**The Tendo Residence, the following week**

Ranma awoke feeling refreshed; something that very rarely happens. Mostly because he's normally awoken by one of several things.

Water; previously it had been from morning rain whereas now it's normally from a bucket.

Genma; he sometimes got the brilliant idea to wake him up by throwing him out the window.

People yelling. That seemed to happen a lot in this house.

School. How he loathed it.

But today, nothing had happened. Today was the weekend and everyone was too busy doing whatever to yell/splash him/throw him out the window.

A small clock on the wall informed him that it was almost 10am. It was really quiet for 10am. The sound of concrete blocks being broken didn't ring out through the house. He couldn't hear the TV or anyone walking around. A few small sounds coming from downstairs, but nothing he could recognize.

Sleepily walking down the stairs, he failed to notice a bucket of water that had been placed on the steps. He, regrettably, only noticed it after he had already stepped in it, causing his toes to be bent backwards painfully and him to lose his balance; toppling forward, spilling the rest of the water all over him and the stairs before he came to rest painfully at the bottom. The loud crash caused Kasumi to poke her head out of the kitchen to see what it was.

"Oh, my," She said, quickly walking over to him, "I'm so sorry, Ranma. I had forgotten that I had placed that there after I had cleaned the floor this morning."

Ranma kicked her leg, causing the bucket to pop off of her foot. She then stood up, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Ah, don't worry about it," She said, "But… where is everyone?"

"Nabiki and Akane went shopping not too long ago," Kasumi said, "Father and Uncle Saotome went out before that to get some Sake for the party."

"Figures that he would only leave for booze," Ranma muttered before suddenly pausing for a moment, "Wait. Party? What party?"

"You don't know?" Kasumi asked, quirking her head to the side, "Well… that isn't very surprising since you only arrived a few weeks ago. Today is my birthday and I suspect that they're planning a surprise party."

"Really," Ranma said, "Cool. Happy Birthday."

"Thank you Ranma! But you can't tell anyone," Kasumi said quickly, "I don't think they know that I know about it."

"Don't worry, I won't say anything," Ranma told her.

"Oh, thank you," Kasumi said.

It was then that a loud whistling sound came from the kitchen.

"Oh, that would be the tea," Kasumi said as she started towards the kitchen, "You can have some of the water once it cools down a little to transform back if you want."

"Yeah, sure," Ranma said, following after her, "You got anything to eat?"

"Yes," Kasumi said, "I managed to save a small bit of breakfast. It's in the refrigerator."

"Sweet," Ranma said as she started to walk into the kitchen after Kasumi.

However, as she walked through the door, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks as a cold feeling creeped down her spine. She got the feeling as if she was being watched.

It was quiet all of a sudden. Too quiet.

There.

A sound from behind her.

She quickly whirled around to face the other direction.

A stray cat bolted out of the room, having ventured just into the large patio doorway.

"What is it?" Kasumi asked.

Ranma looked at her then back out to where the cat had been.

"Nothin," Ranma said, "Just a cat."

**Across town at the Neko-haten**

Cologne sat there, watching a small crystal ball very closely. Shampoo was peeking over her shoulder. Images started to appear in the balls reflective surface. Mostly just shadows, a single figure stood there, slightly warped by the curvature of the ball. The figure was just standing there.

The figure then turned around as to face towards them. It then leaned down very close, making it obvious that he was looking right back at them.

As his face came close to the crystal ball, his features became visible.

The person in the crystal was a boy that looked about 17 years old. His face was extremely pale; the color of death. He had dark rings around his glowing, blood red eyes. His ebony hair fell down in front of his face and was quite long. From what was visible, he seemed to be wearing some sort of old style black clothing.

Shampoo shrank down behind Cologne. Cologne simply continued to stare defiantly back at him.

The boy suddenly quirked his head to the side. The crystal ball jumped a small bit, a large crack forming in it, obscuring his image. The ball then jumped again, more cracks appearing on it. It did it twice more before the ball almost exploded into a fine glass powder.

"Great grandmother…" Shampoo said, looking around the room. She could see the breath coming from her mouth. The room seemed to get dimmer and dimmer.

"Do not worry yourself, Xian Pu," Cologne said. Shampoo nodded slightly and steeled her resolve.

There was a loud noise from the front of the store as the blinds on the two large windows suddenly fell down, cutting out most of the sunlight from outside. They both turned to look in that direction.

A figure stood there. He was near impossible to see as he almost seemed to fade in and out of the shadows. After a small moment, his form solidified and he started to walk towards them.

**Back at the Tendo Residence**

Ranma sat there, munching happily on the reheated breakfast and some nice oolong tea. She had yet to transform back as the water in the kettle was still too hot. Kasumi was darting around the kitchen quickly, doing things that Ranma didn't really understand. Cooking had never been one of her strong points. Rice was easy ands he could whip up any pre-made meal you put in front of her fine, but the only thing she could really COOK was a simple stew. Basically rice, meat, and vegetables.

"Why are you cooking lunch now?" Ranma asked, "It's not even ten yet."

"Well," Kasumi said, "I'm not actually cooking lunch."

"Huh?" Ranma said intelligently.

"While the others are out, I'm cooking up a special dinner for tonight," Kasumi smiled warmly as she spoke, "It may be my birthday, but I figured I might give them a surprise myself."

"Hmm," Ranma said, "Whatcha cookin' then?"

"Oh, one of the recipes that's in my mothers old cook book," Kasumi said, "I… I don't use it much…. Only on special occasions."

Kasumi pulled the book from its place on the small book stand on the counter. She placed it in front of her for a small moment, not having opened it.

The room went somber for a moment.

"It… uh…" Ranma said, trying to think of something to say, "It… It smells really good, whatever your making."

Kasumi laughed lightly at that.

"Ranma," Kasumi said, turning around, "I haven't even started cooking yet."

Ranma looked down.

"I knew that," She said quickly.

The room went quiet for a second time. The mood wasn't as awkward as before.

"I… I don't mean to dredge up old memories," Kasumi said, "But… what was you life like… before you were adopted."

Ranma paused for a moment, before slowly chewing and swallowing what was already in her mouth.

"It was…" Ranma said, poking around with the food on her plate, "Different."

She took a bite.

"A lot different," She said, "It was a lot more simple. We basically lived out in the middle of nowhere. Literally. We were part of a… well, a tribe; I guess you could call it."

"A tribe?" Kasumi asked, amazed.

"Yeah," He said, "Hunting for food, migrating from place to place as food in one area got thin. But… we had to leave because of a drought was starting to make food too hard to find."

At this point, he was just staring down at the plate of food.

"I… I'm sorry," Kasumi said.

"Hmm?" Ranma looked up, "What for?"

Kasumi looked down.

"For dredging up bad memories…" She said, "For everything."

"Don't worry about it," Ranma said, smirking, "Anyway, no more talking about sad shit. More cooking!"

He lightly pounded his hands on the table.

"Birthday cake!" He demanded, looking around.

Kasumi started to laugh.

_End Chapter 16_

_AAARGH ME HARDIES!! FLIBBLE MY TUMBERS! RAKASASHAKAAAHN!_

_Anyway, I've finally got back into the mindset for some writtining. The lack of job and abundance of Super Smash Brothers got me sidetracked._

_For the few of your to notice and to the few of you who actually read the authors notes down a the bottom of the chapter, I've hinted at several things in this one. Some will be revealed in the next one, some won't be for quite some time. Going over my plans for the next story line (which only exist in my head), this ones gonna be a long one. _

_If you can find any of the hints, you win a cookie!_

_COOKIE!!_

_An e-cookie. Or an iCookie. _

_Hmm… iCookie…_

_Peace_

_Jo Bro the Mo Fo_


	18. Ch17: Blood for Blood

Chapter Seventeen: Blood for Blood Chapter Seventeen: Blood for Blood

"Carrot?"

"Check."

"Diced?"

"Yup."

"Rice?"

"Boiling."

"Soy Sauce."

"Check."

"Ketchup?"

"Che... What? Ketchup?"

Ranma looked at Kasumi.

"Just teasing," Kasumi laughed a small bit.

Ranma was about to respond, but she was cut off by a loud yell.

"We're home!"

Ranma turned to see Akane and Nabiki coming through the doorway, each holding bags behind their backs.

"Milk."

Ranma didn't say anything.

"Ranma."

"Huh?" Ranma turned back to Kasumi, "Oh, yeah. Milk, yeah, check."

Kasumi looked towards Nabiki and Akane.

"Ranma…" She said.

"Hmm?"

"How do you feel about your engagement to Akane?" Kasumi suddenly asked.

"Uh…!" Ranma turned to her, surprised, "I…! There's no way I'm marrying someone like her! No way in hell!"

As soon ass he said that, however, it felt as if someone had suddenly opened the oven behind her after it was set to full blast. She could almost hear the silverware on the counter start to shake and tumble around.

She turned around veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery slowly.

To see that Akane was about to go thermal nuclear.

"Someone… like who?" Akane asked.

"Um… Cindy Crawford?" She tossed a random name out there.

"PERVERT!!"

A loud boom echoed across Nerima. The ground quaked violently for a split second. A soft thud was heard a split second later.

Ranma slowly opened her eyes.

No horrible pain caused by massive blunt force trauma?

No flying through the air?

Ranma looked down to see that Akane had stumbled due to her having a rather large hammer over her head when the quake happened.

"Oh my," Kasumi said, "What was that?"

"I think something exploded," Nabiki said.

"What?" Akane asked.

Nabiki didn't respond. She simply pointed out the window. The other three people moved to look out as well. Ranma leaned as much as she could as not to get close to Akane. She seemed to have forgotten about trying to hit her into the upper atmosphere a few seconds ago and she didn't want to do anything to provoke her.

"Must be a chemical fire," Nabiki said, "The fire's all one weird purple color."

Ranma's eyes suddenly went wide. She then bolted out of the house in a blur, accidentally bumping into Akane and almost knocking her

"H-hey!" Akane said, yelling at him, "Come back here, pervert!"

"Oh my," Kasumi said.

"My thoughts exactly," Nabiki said, "Wonder what's got him all riled up?"

**The Neko-haten**

Rhys arrived at the Cat Café a few moments later to find that glass littered the streets, purple fire pouring out of the windows. A rather large crowd had started to gather just beyond the shattered glass.

"Oh shit…" Rhys said, as she then started to push her way through the already thick crowd of people.

As she broke through on the other side, she saw that some people had ventured up closer to tend to those who looked like they happened to be in front of the windows when they had been blown outward. Some of them looked like they were barely clinging to life. A few of them looked like that weren't able to.

Rhys suddenly froze.

The sound of wood burning.

People crying out.

The metallic smell of blood and the revolting smell of burnt flesh and hair.

It was as if she….

She shook his head to rid the thoughts from his head. Thinking about that wouldn't help anyone right now.

She glanced around quickly, spotting a fire hydrant only a few feet from the purple blaze. She darted up to it quickly and with a swift stomp removed one of its side covers causing water to spray all over her and the purple fire. It did some good, but the fire wasn't about to go out.

With her clothes and skin saturated with the slightly metallic smelling 'city watah', she leapt into action, entering the inferno. She could hear several people call out to try and stop her.

Inside, most of the furniture was already ignited and burning swiftly. The entire building audibly groaned as the fire consumed it.

Rhys leapt over debris, making a bee-line towards the back of the room, all the while scanning the room constantly for signs of life. As she neared the far wall, a loud crash from the next room caught her attention. She quickly flipped over the currently on fire counter and slammed through the door, entering what looked like a kitchen.

Now that she was back here, she could hear people talking from across the room.

Rhys turned to see Cologne fighting a group of what appeared to be partially flaming corpses. One was currently missing both of its arms and another didn't have a head. The one without arms was yelling loudly about his missing appendages and the one without a head was walking about randomly.

However, that still left the four that had all but cornered the Amazonian matriarch.

"Ooooooooooooo!" One of them said loudly, "Bout ready ta give up, granny!?"

"MY ARMS!! MOTHER FUCKERS! WHERE THE HELL ARE MY ARMS!?"

"Shut up, Lennie!"

"Found one!"

"Oh thank god! Gimme gimme gimme!"

"Hey, you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That roaring sound."

"That's the fire."

"No, it's a lot louder. Coming from behind us."

The zombie that was holding the other zombies arm started to turn to look behind them, "There's nothing behind us you stupid piece of HOLY SHIT!!"

That particular undead suddenly found himself being sliced into multiple pieces as a rather pissed off werecheetah girl landed on top of him, claws bared.

"Mike!" One of what Rhys could only describe as zombies yelled. The zombie then turned to the rather pissed off werecheetah and razed a large butcher knife. "REVENGE!!"

The zombie only made it a few feet before his head was cleanly cut from his shoulders. The head spun in midair for a moment before it came to rest on the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" The head yelled, before suddenly going wide eyes as it looked like the cheetah girl was about to kick him like a soccer ball, "Oh shit."

The head went sailing into the back of the armless zombie, knocking him over face first into one of the many fires that saturated the room. He started to yell an admirable string of obscenities.

Rhys had to duck as one of the others slashed at him with what looked like a sword. To Rhys' surprise, the undead man was quite skilled with it. Not as skilled as Kuno, but still for a zombie, he was top notch.

Rhys, however, managed to trip him with a leg sweep. The zombie hit the ground and suddenly found himself pinned there as his sword suddenly embedded itself through his chest and into the floor. Rhys stepped past him as he tried to pry it out.

Rhys grimaced as she felt something slam into her shoulder. She turned to look at the zombie that had just beaned her with a frying pan. The zombie saw the promise of re-death in the girl's eyes and quickly decided that that was probably not the best of ideas.

Said zombie ended up going head first into a burning deep fat fryer.

Leaving a single zombie still standing and in good enough condition to fight. He stood there as Rhys started to approach.

The undead man looked around wildly for a moment, looking for something to use as a weapon. Spotting a handle sticking out of a nearby drawer, he lunged for in and brandished it in front of him.

Only to notice that he had armed himself with a plastic spatula.

He looked at it dumbly for a moment. He then looked up at Rhys, who had her hand raised and pointed at him. Glowing symbols appeared around her hand.

The next thing he knew, he was flying through the wall out into the alleyway behind the building.

"Quickly, Rhys!" Cologne called out, "Grab Xian Pu! We must escape quickly!"

Rhys quickly grabbed Xian Pu and hefted her up into her arms. The two of them leapt out of the hole that the one zombie had made and began to quickly run away from the building.

Back inside, the zombie that was pinned to the floor was still trying to remove the sword from his chest. As he struggled however, he happened to notice the gas pipes that ran to the stove were beginning to warp because of the heat and weight put onto them from the stove because of the floor crumbling.

"Oh, god damnit!"

**Outside**

"What the hell was that?!" Rhys yelled as she laid Shampoo down a few blocks away from the café, "Who did this!?"

"A man…" Cologne said, "He came with the undead. Such skill… I have never seen before…."

"He's the one that…" Rhys said.

"There is no time!" Cologne interrupted loudly, causing Rhys to look at her, "You must get to the Tendo Dojo! Quickly!"

"Why? What's happening at the Dojo?" Rhys asked.

"Just before they attacked, Xian Pu and I found out what they were after," Cologne said, "You must get to the dojo and stop them!"

"But…" Rhys said, looking at Shampoo.

"Do not worry about her," Cologne said, "I will take her to Tofu's clinic. You have to get to the dojo and stop them from taking her!"

"Taking who?" Rhys asked.

**The Tendo Residence**

It was raining as Rhys leapt from the building that was across the street down into the Tendo lawn, the sun almost blotted out of the sky. She didn't hesitate as she saw that the front door stood wide open. She quickly ran into the house. Nabiki was standing near the front door with the phone up to her ear. She turned as the werecheetah girl entered the building.

"The kitchen!" She yelled. Rhys didn't even pause as she rushed towards the kitchen. She rounded the corner into the dining room, seeing that Akane was unconscious on the floor, a small gash on her temple. Another zombie stood over her with a large club.

"Hey!" He said, "Get lost kitty ca-!"

A vicious back hand sent the undead man flying into the wall. A cracking down came as his head hit the wall and he slowly slid down it.

Rhys then burst through the door into the kitchen.

Standing there in the kitchen was a tall darkly dressed man. He had Kasumi in his grasp. She struggled, but the man's grip was far too strong for her to escape. In his other hand, he held a long spear. The same spear that used to hang above the shrine in the dojo.

The man was extremely pale, almost the color of death. His eyes were blood red and glowed with an infernal light. He had dark rings around his eyes and long dark hair that covered the left side of his face. He wore a the upper half of black stained leather armor with a loose black long-sleeved tunic on underneath that. He wore a red sash and loose black leggings. He had a wicked looking sword on his side.

He looked strangely… familiar.

"I was wondering when you would get here," He said with a voice full of malice, "Brother."

"I'm not your brother asshole!" Rhys growled at him, "Let her go!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," The man said, "My master has need of her. Or more accurately… her blood."

He bent Kasumi's head sideways and touched her throat carefully. Kasumi couldn't do anything but shiver.

Rhys stepped towards them.

"Come to further, werecheetah!" The man pointed the spear at him and tightened his grip on Kasumi, causing her to cry out slightly, "Or I will kill her here and now."

Rhys stopped dead.

"You're the one that attacked the café," she said, "You're the one who killed those people!"

The man chuckled darkly.

"Why!?" Rhys yelled, "They had nothing to do with this!"

"Oh, come now, brother," the man said, "It's no fun until someone dies."

"You…" Rhys said her fists clenched tight, "You BASTARD!"

"As much as I'd love to stay here and chat," the man said, as his form started to shift into and out of the shadows, "I have a delivery to make. My master will be quite pleased when he sees what I have brought him. Ja ne… brother."

As their forms started to fade, Rhys burst towards them, trying to grab onto Kasumi before the faded away completely.

She slammed painfully into the kitchen counter after going through the shadows that the two had vanished into. She recovered quickly, however, and she quickly turned and looked back at where they had been standing.

Empty.

She slammed her hand into the counter.

"DAMNIT!"

She stood there, hunched over the counter, breathing heavily.

"R-Rhys?" Nabiki's voice came from behind her.

She stood there for a moment more before turning around. Nabiki was sitting beside Akane.

"Is she okay?" Rhys asked, her face holding the same seriousness that Nabiki had seen after she had saved her from the building.

"She's unconscious," Nabiki told her quietly.

Rhys stood there a moment more. She then started to walk by her.

"Wh-where are you going?" Nabiki asked as the cheetah girl passed her.

"To Tofu's clinic," Rhys said as she passed her, "That asshole attacked the cat-café to distract me long enough to get here and grab Kasumi."

"Wait!" Nabiki said, "I… I'm coming with you! Akane… that… thing clubbed her pretty badly."

Rhys stopped and looked down at her. She paused for a split second before she turned and knelt down beside the unconscious girl. She lifted her up. She then started to walk towards the door, Nabiki following closely behind her.

**The Clinic**

"A minor concussion, but she should wake up in a few moments," Tofu said, "The gash in her forehead needed stitches, but she should be right as rain in a few weeks."

Tofu then turned back to Nabiki and the now human and male Rhys.

"Now, how did this happen?" Tofu asked.

"Well…" Nabiki said, "I don't know if your going to believe this but…"

"A zombie came in and bashed her on the head with a club," Rhys cut her off. Nabiki glanced at him and then back at Tofu.

"I see," Tofu said, not skipping a beat, "And this is related to why Cologne and Shampoo are here."

Nabiki looked rather surprised.

"Yeah," Rhys said, "The damn bastards must of attacked the café in order to get me away from the house."

Now she looked confused.

"Why would zombies want to get into the Tendo house?" Tofu asked.

Now she looked like the two of them suddenly had two heads.

"Well…" Rhys said.

"Wait, wait, wait," Nabiki interrupted, "How in the world can you just take something like this a face value? I mean, zombies aren't even supposed to be real!"

"Well," Tofu said, thinking for a small moment, "Then again, neither are werecheetahs."

Silence prevailed for a few moments.

Nabiki suddenly felt like an idiot.

"Well…" Rhys continued, "There was this guy. He grabbed Kasumi and vanished into thin air. I think he's the one that…"

"WHAT!?" Tofu suddenly exploded, causing Rhys to not only jump away from him several feet but also to suddenly revert to hybrid form spontaneously, "WHO WAS HE!?"

"Uh…" Rhys said, his voice slightly shaky at the doctors outburst, "I… uh… dunno. He said that his m-master or something needed her blood for something."

Nabiki and Rhys felt a sudden strong breeze as Tofu vanished from the room. They heard loud footsteps echo down the hall, the sound of a door being slammed open, and then sounds of things banging around.

"What…?" Rhys asked, "What the hell was that!?"

"Tofu has a huge crush on Kasumi," Nabiki said. She wasn't nearly as surprised as Rhys was as she knew to brace herself as soon as the name came from Rhys' mouth, "He normally starts dancing around with his skeleton. And you might want to change back to human before Akane wakes up."

At that point, Tofu reemerged from the hallway with a rather HUGE book in his hands. He noisily slammed it down onto the table. He opened it with considerable effort and began to quickly scan the pages.

"If this person truly is the one who brought the undead here," Tofu suddenly said, not turning his eyes from the book, "And if what he said about needing her blood is true, there's only one place they could have taken her."

"Where?" Rhys asked.

Tofu flipped a few more pages.

"The only place where necromancy is actually legal and undead actually outnumber the living by a vast sum," Tofu said, "The Realm of the Dead."

"Realm of the Dead?" Rhys asked, "That kinda like that Jade place?"

"Similar," Tofu said quickly, "Like Jade, it is a separate plane of existence. However, unlike Jade, it's sealed off from the other planes. It's supposed to be impossible for any undead to get out, but there had always been loopholes, especially when they happen to have living help."

Nabiki was, again, completely lost on the conversation.

"Maybe the guy who nabbed Kasumi was alive," Rhys suggested, "He was pale as all hell, but he looked… whole, at least."

"Possibly," Tofu replied. He thought for a moment, "Is there anything else? Anything odd about what he did or said."

"Almost everything his said was weird," Rhys answered before he thought for a moment, "He called me his brother a few times and he did take that spear."

"Anything else?" Tofu asked.

"Um…" Rhys thought for a moment, "He did do this weird thing where he sniffed her neck all creepy like. All he said was that his master needed her blood for something."

"He didn't take anything else?" Tofu asked, his eyes still glued to the pages of the book.

"No."

"Alright. Nabiki," Tofu said, "What can you tell me about this spear?"

"Huh? Oh! Um… not much," Nabiki said, "It's an old family heirloom. You'd have to ask daddy."

"When you see your father, tell him I must speak with him immediately," Tofu asked.

"Um… sure," Nabiki said, "But why?"

Tofu hesitated for a moment.

"There has to be a connection between your family, whoever this mans master is, and that spear," Tofu said, "The way he sniffed his neck points to a particular type of undead, as well as the need for her blood."

"Uh… what type?" Rhys asked.

"A vampire," Nabiki said quietly.

Tofu paused.

"Exactly," Tofu said, "And the only reason why he would need one particular persons blood was if he needed it for some sort of ritual or something. More that likely, if what I'm thinking is correct, it needed to be the blood of someone in the Tendo family. That would make him taking the spear make sense."

"The man was not a vampire," A voice came.

Rhys and Nabiki looked around quickly for the source of the voice, but they could not find it.

That is, until that source hit Rhys on the top of his head. This caused him to look down and see Cologne standing there. Rhys glared at her for a second, rubbing the top of his head.

"If what Rhys said was true and the man who took this Kasumi girl was the same man who attacked us in the café, then the man in question in very much alive," Cologne said, "He was definitely tainted by the undead, but not so much as to make him undead himself."

"Tainted?" Rhys asked, "Whaddaya mean? Like… half undead or something?"

"Although such occurrences do exist," Cologne said, "That would not be that case this time. Certain undead have ways of making the living do what they wish. If his master is indeed a vampire that would be as easy as forcing someone to drink of the vampires blood."

"Okay," Nabiki interrupted, "I'm completely lost on this."

"Yeah," Rhys said, kinda annoyed, "All this talk about vampires and rituals is confusing the hell out of me. When the hell are we gonna get to the part about us going in there, kicking some ass, and taking Kasumi back!? We can't just stand around like this! We have to do something!"

Tofu sighed.

"If only it were that easy," He muttered quietly. After a small moment, he finally turned away from the book, "First off, the Realm of the Dead a plane of existence that is almost impossible to get to. Secondly, once we somehow got there, we'd have to find where Kasumi is all the while fighting off the countless undead that populate the plane, not all of which can be physically harmed or even touched. Then we'd have to not only deal with the man who abducted her, but his master as well. After that, we'd have to find a way _out_ of the realm of the dead before the undead that were attracted by the fight swarm us."

There was a silent pause.

"Okay," Rhys said, looking down, "Point made. So, what do we do now?"

"The only thing we can do now is to try and find out as much as we can about the subject," Tofu said, "And to do that, I need to have a talk with Soun."

**A Small While Later**

"WHAT!?"

Bird in a twenty mile radius suddenly took flight.

It turned out that Nabiki had completely forgotten that she had, in fact, called the police just before leaving to go with Rhys to the clinic. What had happened was that Soun and Genma had arrived back at the house to find a rotting corpse leaned up against the wall and police crawling all over the place. This had quickly snapped the two men back to sobriety. A small while later, the house had gotten a call from Tofu's clinic.

At the clinic, the loud banging and talking had gotten Ukyo's attention from upstairs. She had came down to see what was going on and was now standing beside Rhys, watching as things unfolded. Soun had arrived a few moments after the call had been made and the police a few minutes later. It was at this time that Akane had awoken. She remained quiet, sitting adjacent her father. It seemed that one of the policemen had recognized Genma from an old photo he had seen, so he had been taken in for questioning; something that amused Rhys _immensely_. Questions had been asked and answered given, without anything said about zombies or vampires. The lead detective had pretty much decided this was going to be a massive headache and had told all of them to stay in the area. The police left a few minutes after that. That was when the _real_ questions started to be asked.

Rhys stood there and watched as Soun's face went from normal, to red in an instant, slowly changing to a odd purple, to a sickly blue, to a unhealthy green, and then right back to red.

"Your daughter has be kidnapped," Tofu said again, sternly, "And a spear taken from you. Now please calm down and answer my question."

"KASUMI HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED AND YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN!?" Soun screamed at him.

"Answer the question so we can go save her already!" Rhys interrupted.

That managed to at least get Soun to stop yelling.

"Now," Tofu said, "I need to know if there is anything, anything at all, that could make for a reason why someone would kidnap Kasumi and take that spear. I don't care how crazy it sounds."

"There…" Soun said, "There _isn't_ any reason. Why would someone want to kidnap Kasumi…?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Tofu told him. He sighed and paused for a moment, thinking, "Okay. Is there anything about the spear you can think of? Why was it hanging in the shrine?"

"Th-the spear belonged to one of our ancestors," Soun said, "It's… just a family heirloom. Why… why would someone kidnap…."

"This is useless," Rhys muttered.

"Tendo," Tofu said, stepping up to the now weeping Tendo patriarch, "Think _very carefully_. Is there any person that can be connected to your family through that spear that would need Kasumi's blood for anything you can possibly think of?"

"What?" Soun asked, "Why are you asking about the damn spear!? KASUMI HAS BEEN KIDNA!"

Soun suddenly went quiet; his head bobbing slightly and his eyes closed as if he was asleep. There was a pause as Cologne pogoed from out behind him.

"What just happened?" Nabiki asked.

"With him acting the way he was, we would have never found out anything," Cologne said, "I used a pressure point to knock him unconscious but still able to answer questions. We should be able to get some answers now."

She nodded to Tofu.

"Okay," Tofu said, "Is there any reason why someone would want Kasumi's blood? Someone who has a connection to your family; possibly through that spear?"

Soun didn't say anything.

"I think he's just asl…" Rhys started.

"There's an old family legend," Soun suddenly said, "Five hundred years ago."

Rhys closed his mouth with an audible click.

"A wizard of great strength once threatened to conquer all of Japan," Soun said in a very creepy and hollow voice, "Every warrior who stood against him fell to his evil army of the dead. Our ancestor, Shinobu Tendo, wielded that spear to stop the wizard's plans."

"Okay," Tofu said, "What about the blood?"

There was another pause.

"It was said that the wizard drained the blood of the fallen warriors to use in his dark magic," Soun said, "It was believed that he himself used the blood to create an elixir of immortality."

"Okay," Nabiki said, moving away from her father, "This is really freaky."

"You've never heard this before?" Tofu asked.

"No," Nabiki shook her head, "Last time I asked about the spear, Daddy said that he didn't know where it was from; just that it was a family heirloom."

"It is possible that he once heard the tale," Cologne said, "But failed to remember it. In the state he is in now, it wouldn't be too hard to believe that he is remembering things that he would have no idea about while awake."

Tofu nodded. That was indeed possible.

"What about after that?" He then asked.

Again, there was a pause.

"It was said that the wizards was not killed," he said, "For he had already taken the elixir of immortality. Shinobu knew this, and instead fought his to a stand still before casting him out of this world, sealing him away never to return. Shinobu used his own blood to create the seal that sealed the wizard away."

Another pause. Soun took a long, deep, and hoarse breath.

"The wizard was said to curse the man. That one day, a maiden pure would come to him when Susanoo turned his back upon the world. Her blood would break the seal, return to him his power, and allow him to come back to conquer all life on earth."

Another pause. Soun took a long, deep, and hoarse breath.

And then he started to snore.

LOUDLY.

"Well," Tofu said, trying to talk over Soun loud snoring, "It seems we have…"

"What?!" Rhys asked loudly.

"I said, it seemed we've found…!"

"What!?"

Nabiki reached over and clamped the bridge of her fathers nose, quieting the awful snoring.

Tofu rubbed his right ear gently.

"Thank you, Nabiki," He said, "As I was saying, it seems we've finally found out what we needed to know. Now we know why they need her. We also know what deadline we're on."

"What deadline?" Rhys asked, "I don't remember him saying anything about any sort of time."

"He did," Tofu said, "He said 'when Susanoo turns his back upon the world'."

"Who the hell is this Susanoo guy?" Rhys asked.

"Susanoo is the Shinto deity of the moon," Tofu said, "And 'Susanoo turning his back on the world' would means 'during a new moon'."

"The next new moon is in two weeks," Cologne supplied.

"That means we have two weeks to save her," Tofu said, "We have a lot of preparing to do."

At that moment, a scuffle was heard coming from behind Rhys and Ukyo, who were standing in front of the entrance to the hallway. They both glanced back to see Shampoo about to collide with them. Ukyo, with a broken arm, could merely step out of the way. Rhys, however, managed to catch her as she stumbled to the ground.

This caught everyone's attention, who then looked in that general direction.

To see that Shampoo didn't look totally human at the moment. On her face were purple markings, on her head were two purple canine ears tipped with black, behind her was three poofy purple fox tails.

It was quiet.

"Um…" Rhys said, "Ah, fuck. This is gonna take a while to explain."

_Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!_

_Next Chapter: The story of Rhys' time in Joketsozuko. And after that…? More ZOMBIES!!_

_I always liked how the undead were depicted in Gold Digger: smarmy and loud. And all the skeletons were obsessed with groping women. Hotcha!_

_Akane's always the one to get kidnapped, but I've had Nabiki and Kasumi kidnapped instead._

_This didn't actually occur to me until a few minutes ago._

_Anyway, this story arc does mean that, yes, he's leaving Nerima. Not permanently. Not yet. And with him going to Jade, I'll be able to put more Gold Digger things in here._

_This story arcs gonna be a huge un._

_Also, been thunkin' my bruin out trying to thunk about shtuuf to put into the Okami story. I haven't forgotten about it, it's just taken sec… thi… um… like… fifth seat. Heh…. But I have been thunking about it!_

_AH THUNKIN' MAKIN' MUH BRUIN HUUUURT!!_


	19. Ch18: Joketsozuko

**Chapter Eighteen: Joketsozuko  
**

* * *

"Ah," Genma said, "The legendary training ground, Jusenkyo! We've arrived sooner than I had expected!"

Rhys stood there.

"It's some pools with some sticks in 'em," He said flatly.

"What's with the whining, boy!?" Genma shouted.

"I wasn't whining, ya dumb coot!" Rhys yelled back.

"You sound like a girl, boy!" Genma retorted as he jumped upon one of the bamboo poles.

"Fine!" Rhys yelled as he jumped after him, "Have it your way, old man!"

* * *

**A Small While Later  
**

* * *

A newly re-gendered Rhys and a panda-fied Genma made their way into a small village that the Jusenkyo guide had mentioned earlier. Genma was still in tears over his son's new femininity. Rhys herself was still huffed about it herself.

And why did she have to be so damn small!? She was already a little short when she was a he but now she almost looked like a little kid!

They were both broken out of their moods by the din they had just walked into as they entered the village gates. The entire village was in an uproar.

It looked like some sort of festival gone wrong. In the town square was a small arena centered around what used to be a hanging log. The log was only held up on one side; the other side was pulverized. Most of the stands and seating around the log was damaged as well.

They're attention was suddenly diverted to just further into the village by a huge explosion.

"Holy shit!" Rhys-chan yelled. She and Genma almost immediately headed over in that direction with Rhys-chan moving considerably faster than her adopted father despite her recent loss of height.

The scene they arrived at was that of an all out war zone. Buildings were destroyed and there were already about two dozen amazons lying injured. And in the middle of the chaos were four people.

On one side were a single Amazonian warrior and a diminutive old woman. The warrior was a girl about the same age as Rhys. She was breathing hard and already had several bruises forming, but even then she was still steady as a stone and standing in a defensive stance. The old woman was only about two feet tall and stood there with a cane twice her own size.

The other side consisted of an insanely muscular man who had to stand at least eight feet tall. He had short cut blonde hair and wore a tight red and white striped shirt, blue jeans, and a strange spiked collar on his neck. Beside him was a black dog with a large device in front of him.

"Now, girl," A voice said, "Are you going to give me what I want now?"

The voice had come from the dog. Rhys and Genma stared at it for a moment.

"No! Never!" The purple haired girl yelled.

"Then it looks like Benji here will have continue to try and take it through force," The dog looked up at the huge man, "Benji! Sic!"

The man let out a loud roar as he moved to strike the girl.

The attack was blocked by the old woman. Barely. Rhys could see the staff that the old woman was holding was bending quite a bit under the man's brute strength.

"Quite strong for one of your age," The dog said, "But no matter…"

The dog reached forward and moved a small handle on the device. This caused the collar that was on the man suddenly pulse with energy. The pulse seemed to transfer to the man as eyes began to glow, his power increase, and his yell grow fiercer.

There was a loud snap as the woman's staff broke in two. The woman managed to dive out of the way, but she landed with a loud thud as the man's blow barely nicked her side. His fist impacted the ground hard enough to leave a good sized crater in the hard ground.

"Great Grandmother!" The girl yelled. She then leaped at the large man in attempt to strike while the man's hand was still in the ground.

Spinning expertly through the air, she landed a solid blow upon the back of his head as she sailed over him. The impact made the man's head jerk forward slightly, but did little else.

The second the girl landed she was suddenly slammed with one of this 'Benji's' fists. The impact was hard enough to send the girl flying into the side of a building, easily breaking through the wall, causing the building to collapse down upon her.

Genma took one look at the situation and turned to Rhys.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!" He snarled.

Rhys-chan looked at him stupefied for a moment.

"You can't talk as a panda you idiot," She said.

The panda then proceeded to pull out a large wooden sign and a black marker.

Shut up, boy! It said. He then flipped it over, Anyway, this seems like an excellent flip, opportunity for training! It is your duty as flip, a martial artist to protect the weak!

"Don't you mean _our_ duty as martial art…?" Rhys started. She stopped as she noticed that Genma had just turned and ran away from the area, "You coward!"

"Xian Pu!" The old woman yelled. She leaped at Benji a split second later, moving at surprising speeds.

She impacted the man's head with a kick strong enough to cause him to rock back from the blow.

"Ha! Try as hard as you want!" The dog laughed before he placed a paw on the device again, "With this, I can increase Benji's power tenfold! You're attacks won't even faze him!"

Rhys smirked.

It is mathematically proven by one "Professor Steamhead" that the greatest weakness of any evil villain/nemesis is their strange habit of accidentally revealing their secrets to their foes in a fight.

The dog continued to laugh for a little while longer before he suddenly felt a sudden powerful gust of wind go past him.

"Eh? What was that?" He said, looking around. A moment later, he discovered his device was gone, "Where did the enhancer go?!"

"Heh," Rhys said, looking at the device in her hand, "Impressive doo-dad, sparky!"

Rhys was standing a good fifteen feet away from the dog in her hybrid form, looking at the device and shaking it around roughly just to piss the dog off. Her clothes had thankfully been saved from being torn to shreds by its elasticity, although it was now skin tight. She had initially hesitated because she was not sure about if she would use her hybrid form, especially since Genma might still be hanging around. But when the dog suddenly revealed such a huge weakness, she couldn't pass up the chance.

"Foul feline creature!" The dog yelled, "Give the Enhancer back!!!"

"Come and get it, mutt!" Rhys yelled back, waving the device in front of her, "Or are you scared of me!?"

"Enough of this!" the dog yelled, "Benji! Destroy her!"

"Yes, sir!" The huge man bellowed as he moved to strike Rhys-chan.

"Ah, shit," Rhys-chan said as she used her speed to barely avoid the attack.

The strike was slow, sure, but the guy had HUGE arms and hands to match the rest of his HUGE body. A few barely avoided attacks later Rhys found an opportunity to get some distance between them; she took it.

"You're way too slow!" Rhys said as she landed. She looked at the device again, "Wonder what this button does?"

Probably not a good idea to go messing around with an enemy device that directly affects the strength of the rather large man that was trying to squish you into little pieces.

The button only made the glow change color around Benji's collar. He roared as his size suddenly grew even larger.

"Bad thing!" Rhys yelled in panic, "Button did a bad thing!"

This only caused the dog to start laughing.

His laughter was cut short by an explosion that suddenly rocked the area around him.

The old woman had used the fact that the cheetah girl had completely distracted the opponent to her advantage and had fired a rather large Ki blast at the talking dog. But the blast suddenly bounced off and slammed into the old woman.

"Really now? You thought I had forgotten about you?" The dog laughed before signaling a strange collar that he had on, "With this device I have a force field that throws any attack back at you! I'm untouchable!"

The fight between Rhys and Benji raged only a few feet away. Rhys was doing a respectable job of avoiding the huge mans strikes, but having to bounce around like a flea and constantly retreat made finding an opportunity to deal a blow strong enough to hurt the guy very difficult.

The opportunity came as Benji once again slammed his fist down into the dirt, just like he had before. And copying the other girl, Rhys leaped up and slammed her foot down onto the back of the man's neck as hard as she could.

The blow slammed into Benji with surprising force, forcing him to his knees and let out a loud grunt. He recovered instantly however, growling and swinging his fist back to strike Rhys as she landed.

Like the other girl, Rhys would've had no way to dodge if she hadn't had her supernatural speed. To Benji's eyes, she simply vanished. She had leaped again, landing a good ten feet out of Benji's reach.

'This isn't getting anywhere fast!' She thought as she landed sloppily, 'What is this guy made of!? That kick hurt my leg more than it hurt him!'

The rubble of the building that the girl had slammed into started to shift. There was a small burst of purple light as she managed to push her way free.

As she arose, she revealed that she had changed. She was now a three tailed purple fox girl. However, unlike Rhys whom had a normal human shaped face she had the face of an actual fox. She was breathing hard and had an intense expression of anger.

"Ah!" The dog said, "Finally you reveal yourself to me! Benji! Forget the cat! Grab her!"

"Yes, sir!" Benji said, suddenly turning away from the were-cheetah to advance upon the purple haired girl.

"Damnit!" Rhys said, trying furiously to try to think of a way she could stop this guy from getting to that girl. Luckily, she would soon realize that the fox-girl was far from defenseless.

The girl yelled out in Chinese as she brought her hand forward. Purple fire suddenly coalesced in front of her for a moment before suddenly bursting out towards Benji.

The purple fireball slammed into Benji's chest with enough force to knock him onto his back. Rhys took this time to leap high in the air and slam down as hard as she could on his face, causing him to grunt loudly.

However, he recovered quickly enough to grab onto Rhys's tail as she leaped off his face.

She yelped in pain as she found herself whirling around at high speeds through the air as Benji winded up and hurled her as hard as he could into a large nearby tree. She slammed into the tree and snapped it in two at the impact. She hit the ground hard, dazed by the impact. The device had slipped from her hand and had landed close to where Benji was.

This caused the dog to laugh out loudly.

The fox-girl fired another fireball at Benji, which slammed into his shoulder. It rocked him hard, but failed to knock him over this time. He then lunged towards her.

She tried to blast him again, but he grabbed her by the arms and lifted her up into the air easily. She struggled, but she couldn't wrench herself free. She began yelling angrily at him.

"Good boy, Benji!" The dog said loudly. He walked over towards where the device had landed. He then pointed it at her, "Now, be a good girl and give me your soul orb!"

He pressed a single button on the device. The collar around the giant mans neck pulsed, sending energy through Benji and into the girl. The girl then screamed.

It was at this point that Rhys managed to get to her feet. She rubbed her head as she looked out at the fight.

"Damn dog and his crazy devices…" Rhys said, "I should just smash the damn thing but the dog's got that crazy force field thingy!"

Rhys thought for a moment on how she would act. That device was the key to winning the battle. She needed to get rid of it but she couldn't strike at the dog because it would hit the force field. But if she couldn't smash the damn thing, how could she break it!?

She then suddenly had an idea.

Back at the fight, the energy pulse had faded and the girl had gone quiet. There was a small thump against the ground as a small purple ball dropped to the ground below her. She was dropped to the ground harshly; barely conscious.

"Now there, bad boy, Benji!" The dog disciplined, "She'll be of no use to us if you injure her! No treats for the rest of the day!"

"I'm sorry!" The man looked totally downtrodden. Huge and glowing with crazy super power but still totally downtrodden.

"Anyway," the dog said, "With the old hag and the feline filth taken care of, we can finally be off. Benji! Grab her and that ball and get back to…!"

He was cut off as a huge amount of water suddenly cascaded over him. Rhys stood behind him with an empty water barrel suspended upside down in front of her.

The area went silent for a moment. The dog then slowly looked back at her and growled.

"You'll pay for that, feline!" He yelled. He then turned to the device, "Increasing enhancement level to max! Benji, crush her into nothingness!!!"

"Uh, Doctor Peachbody!" Benji said.

"WHAT!?" The dog, apparently named Doctor Peachbody, turned to him.

He then noticed that Benji no longer was glowing and wasn't quite as huge.

"The… the Enhancer!" The dog stammered, "It's not working!"

"That would be because I upended a barrel full of water on top of it; your force field collar too," Rhys said, cracking her knuckles, "Electronics don't work so well if they get wet. Now… eat it dog breath!"

"Oh, hell…" The dog muttered.

With that, Rhys reeled back and kicked the dog with as much force as she could, punting him into the large man, sending them both flying back and slamming into a large chimney that one of the houses had. The large stones that made up the chimney then toppled down upon the pair.

"Serves you right!" She yelled.

Benji easily pushed the stones from off of the two of them. After he had extricated both himself and the Doctor, they both beat a hasty retreat. But not before the Doctor yelled something back at Rhys.

"This isn't over feline!" He yelled, "I will have my revenge!"

"Go soak your head, mutt!" Rhys yelled back. She then smirked as she saw the Doctor literally run away with his tail between his legs.

Her attention was then gained by the diminutive woman coming over and saying something.

"Outsider," She said with a harsh tone, before her expression eased up a small bit, "I believe we owe you our thanks."

* * *

**A Small While Later

* * *

**

Rhys and the diminutive woman were seated in one of the larger remaining huts in the village. Rhys was back in her human form. The fox girl was still out cold in the next room.

"What was up with those guys anyway?" Rhys asked plainly, "Who the hell were they?"

"Honestly, we do not know," The diminutive woman; whom she introduced herself as Kuh Lon, or Cologne; said, "They arrived here about two hours ago and demanded to meet with my great Granddaughter here. And without your aid, they would have surely taken her from us."

"What the hell was he yelling about an orb?" Rhys asked.

"Yes, he said as much when he got here," Cologne said, "Xian Pu is a Kitsune and as such carries with her a soul orb: the physical manifestation of her spirit."

"Manife-what?"

Cologne sighed slightly.

"Kitsune are not born the same way normal humans are," she then said, "They are spirits and as such can only live in physical form by inhabiting the body of a living person, after which both souls coexist in the same body. The soul orb is made to allow the Kitsune to utilize their powers and to maintain the connection between the two souls. And if someone gets their hands on a Kitsune's orb, they would be able to bend them to their will."

"He was trying to make her his slave," Rhys said, thinking for a moment.

"Exactly," Cologne answered, smiling now that the girl understood.

"But, I thought Kitsune were Japanese. What are you doing in China?" Rhys looked at her.

"I would ask the same of you," Cologne replied, "What is a were-cheetah doing in China?"

"Uh…" Rhys answer, "I guess you have a point."

Cologne smirked again, "The reason why Kitsune are in the village of Joketsozuko goes back almost 7000 years, back to a time where a young lost Kitsune spirit happened to wander into the village. However, the fact that it was on Earth, which has very little residual magic, and the fact that it didn't have a body was quickly making the spirit fade away."

"Fade away?" Rhys asked.

"A spirit cannot exist on the physical plane without either inhabiting a physical body or devouring people's souls," Cologne answered, Rhys looked a bit shocked about the 'devouring souls' thing, "However, when it found that the youngest daughter of the matriarch at the time was very sick and on the brink of death, the Kitsune then used the last of its energy to mani… to appear in physical form and make them a deal. If the Kitsune was to join with the girl, it would save both of their lives. After that it seemed a link had been formed to the village. Kitsune spirits seem to manifest very easily while inside the village. It became a tradition for the Children of the current Matriarch family to become Kitsune."

'That makes sense," Rhys answered, "How many Kitsune are here now?"

Cologne looked down, "Very few. The fact that Earth has lost much of its magic progressively made it more and more difficult for the spirits to manifest. Only those who have exceptionally strong capabilities are capable of coming into the village. My granddaughter is the most powerful this village has."

"Damn," Rhys said, "Well, it's good that I showed up, I guess."

"Yes, we are forever grateful that you arrived when you did," Cologne said, "If there is anything this village can do to repay you for your aid, you have but to ask."

"Hmm…" Rhys thought, "You got some hot water?"

"Ah…" Cologne closed her eyes and nodded, "A Jusenkyo victim. You are really a boy, aren't you."

"Yeah," Rhys said embarrassed.

Cologne chuckled, "Do not worry. No one at the village is truly going to look at you any different because of a Jusenkyo curse. With the village being so close to it, they are not uncommon."

She then reached over with her cane; Rhys had seen that she has dozens of them; and unhooked a nearby tea kettle from the fireplace. She then poured some of the water out in a small cup for Rhys.

One small cup of water later, and Rhys was back to being in his natural form.

"Thanks," He simply said.

As he put the cup down, a rustling came from his right. They both glanced over to see Shampoo standing there in the doorway in hybrid form. Her ears were drooped back, all three tails were limp, and her expression was one of exhaustion. That expression changed as soon as she looked at him.

"Aiyah," She said, "Shampoo thought cat-boy was girl!"

She then looked him over.

"Shampoo like cat-boy better," She smirked.

Before Rhys could react to that, an Amazon suddenly burst through the entrance to the hut.

"Cologne!" She said quickly, "There's a fat, bald, Japanese guy running around the town stealing things!"

* * *

**Back in Tofu's Waiting Room

* * *

**

Rhys finished telling the story of why Shampoo was a fox girl.

"So that's why Genma was so afraid when you mentioned that she had come from China," Nabiki said.

"Yeah, he had found some treasure chamber or something and had stolen a lot of it," Rhys said, "I think the Amazons want to bring him back to the village to be executed or something."

"Execution sounds a bit harsh," Tofu said.

"Considering that most of the things he sold were magickal artifacts and worth several million yen apiece," Cologne explained, "Not to mention the injuries he caused to some of the guards, the majority of those on the Matriarch Counsel believe that is warrented. However, considering his skill in running away, most do not believe we will catch him any time soon."

* * *

_Damn. It's taken me a long as time to decide what would happen in Joketsuzoku. That and my new job as a glass blower is kinda time consuming. That and I blasted the shit out of one of my fingers with one of the torches. I couldn't type for a little while. (The tip of my finger was charred black… it hurt so I felt that that was a good reason not to type.)_

_Also, I've been rereading the Gold Digger series. At first I wanted Rhys to fight Talon and his genetically enhanced goons, but the time frame for the two series would make Talon -5 years old. Then I got to the point with Dr. Peachbody and decided it should be him._

_That's an evil ass dog._

_Anyway, I decided that Rhys needed a powerup. Or at least for me to really start emphisising his abilities more. Brittany in the comic was much faster and stronger than Rhys was coming off as earlier; and that was before she started getting real training. And since Rhys has gone through crazy as training, he should have already greatly surpassed Brittany._

_I'm going to start using much more of a Gold Diggers feel to the story. The whole comic is about crazy ass people with crazy ass abilities. I mean, even the most ordinary characters had crazy abilities, mundane or not! Still, however, I'm gonna keep Ranma .5 in the forefront._

_I had originally thought up Shampoo as a Kitsune in an entirely different way. I had had Peachbody come to the village to make her his wife. But after I read special Issue 50 of volume 1, called "Edge Guard", I decided to use the actual canon type Kitsune from GD. I also had to stop myself from writing how one could bend a Kitsune to their will by grabbing their balls._

_And the Professor Steamhead thing is from the Crossovers that GD has with another comic: Ninja High School. Crossovers happen a lot in GD. And now that I think about it, the whole Peachbody storyline was a cross over between maybe three or four different comics, including Ninja High School._

_Put your trust in the Steam!_

_Salusian of Imperial Birth!_

_DRAGONS DRAGONS DRAGONS!!!_

_(If you'd read the Crossovers, you'd understand.)_

_End of very long note section._

_~ Everybeast_


	20. Ch19: Entities

**Chapter Nineteen: Entities

* * *

**

A small moment later, Shampoo had recovered her composure. Strangely enough, Akane had yet to come out of the room where she was resting. She had also turned back into a human.

"Why was it that you got up, Shampoo," Cologne said, "You're energy is still dangerously depleted from what happened earlier."

"I feel a presense nearby," Shampoo's voice came.

Nabiki looked like she had been punched in the face she was so surprised. Shampoo had not moved her mouth at all. It was like her voice was in her head.

"How many?" Cologne asked.

"One," Shampoo replied, putting her hand on her head. She looked pale, "It's… she's slowly walking down the street outside."

"What's going on?" Nabiki asked.

"Shampoo is using telepathy," Cologne said, "She does not know very much Japanese, but language is not a problem when using telepathy."

"Then what's up with her?" Nabiki asked.

"Kitsune are creatures that are highly aligned to the spirit world," Cologne said, "We all can naturally sense auras and spiritual energies. Shampoo is one of very few of us who could be considered Seers. She is capable of sensing auras to such a degree that she can sometimes visibly witness things through walls or even miles away."

"She looks like she's about to faint," Nabiki clarified the intent of her previous question.

"She expended most of her energy while fighting the man who attacked the café" Cologne said, "It will take a day or so for her to recover her…."

"They're here," Shampoo interrupted, pointing at the from door.

Rhys looked to the door as it started to open.

Into the door came a woman who looked to be in her later thirties with blazing red hair done up into a bun. She wore a white and red kimono and had a long object wrapped in fine cloth in her left arm.

Rhys looked at her for a second before recognition came to him.

"N-Nodoka!?" He asked, surprised.

At that exact moment, a small thought entered his head, 'what if…? No. No way.'

"Rhys," She smiled as she walked over to him. She didn't seem the least bit surprised, "It is good to see that you're safe. I had seen the news broadcast and I was worried that you had gotten caught in that explosion."

She then looked from Rhys to Ukyo, who was standing closely beside him. Ukyo shrunk back slightly. Rhys saw this and decided to speak up.

"Nodoka, this is Ukyo," He said. He then turned to Ukyo, "This is my adopted mother."

"Ah," Ukyo said, bowing, "It's nice to meet you."

"And it is wonderful to see that you are safe as well," Nodoka returned the bow.

"Thank you," Ukyo smiled.

Nodoka then stepped back and looked at the two of them. Both with blonde hair with spots in it, slightly pointed ears and jade green eyes. Rhys was standing there nonchalantly (although his expression did change when he saw Nodoka looking at them weirdly) and Ukyo was standing close to his left, blushing slightly.

"What?" Rhys asked.

Nodoka smiled.

"You two are perfect for each other!" She said bluntly.

That struck them both dumb for a second.

* * *

**A Small While Later

* * *

**

It was getting late and the last light of the sun was dying over the horizon. As such, the group left the waiting room so Tofu could close up the front. They had retired to a rather roomy sitting room that was on the third floor. Apparently, Tofu had an apartment on the upper floors. There was a large round table in the middle of the room surrounded by chairs.

"I had half expected Genma to be here as well," Nodoka said, she then looked at Nabiki, "He is staying with you at the Tendo house, is he not?"

"Yeah," Rhys answered bluntly, "But the old fool got arrested and taken downtown."

Nodoka sighed.

"I see he hasn't changed," Nodoka said grimly, "He used to be a good man, if not always the most honest person."

"I find that hard to believe," Rhys noted.

"It's true," Nodoka said, "At least he was a good person before the miscarriage."

"Miscarriage?" Nabiki asked.

"Yes," Nodoka said, "Our first child was stillborn and the doctors said I would probably not survive another pregnancy. That is why we adopted Rhys. Genma was adamant about giving him the name we were going to give our son; Ranma; and he proclaimed the he was about to go down and legally changed his name several times a day. Finally, one day I said that I'd do it myself but I never did."

"See," Rhys smirked, "Told you my name wasn't Ranma."

"How'd you know to come looking here?" Nabiki said, "You didn't seem very surprised when you walked through the door."

"I already knew Rhys was here," Nodoka answered.

"Really?" Nabiki asked, "How? The only people who knew we were here were the police. Did you get it from them?"

"No," Nodoka smirked.

"Then… how?" Nabiki asked.

"She can read minds," Rhys looked at her nonchalantly.

Nabiki looked at him for a moment. Everyone did.

"No, really…" Nabiki looked at him seriously, "What is it?"

"She can read minds!" Rhys repeated, looking at her seriously.

"Seriously?" Ukyo piped up for the first time.

"He was a bit blunt…" Nodoka said, "But it's true. I do happen to be a quite powerful psychic."

"You mean you can move things around with your mind?" Nabiki asked, interested.

Nodoka looked at her nervously, "I can really only move unattended objects. Most of my psychic abilities are mind tricks and telepathy. It does help when I need to get things done. And by walking past local police stations I managed to hear about what happened at the dojo and how you all came to be here."

"I'm surprised you missed about Genma being arrested," Nabiki noted.

"Yes, well," Nodoka responded, "I'm far from perfect. And please refrain from telling Genma any of this. I don't know how he would take it."

"I'm very sorry for interrupting," Tofu said, "But we need to get back to the reason why we're here in the first place."

"Yeah," Rhys agreed, "You're right. We still gotta figure out what to do."

"The first thing we need to do is to make sure we know how to get there," Tofu said. He then turned to the Amazonian Elder, "Cologne?"

"Hmm…" Cologne said, "A path to the Realm of the Undead… The best way to get there is to find a mage powerful enough to cast a Dimension Door spell, but mages of such power are rare on Earth."

"The Realm of the Undead," Nodoka asked, "Why would you want to go there?"

"You could just get it from our heads," Rhys looked at her.

"Oh, no," Nodoka said, "It's quite rude to peek into the minds of people you are currently talking to. I make it a point not to know what they are going to say before they say it."

"Nabiki's older sister was kidnapped by who we expect to be some sort of vampire with a grudge against the family," Rhys said.

Tofu nodded, "We believe that he needs her for some sort of ritual or sacrifice during the next new moon."

"That's in two weeks," Nodoka said, thinking, "I see the urgency."

"You believe us?" Nabiki asked.

"Yes," Nodoka answered, "I had wondered why I keep hearing about zombies while I walk around town doing errands. And you believe he's in the realm of the undead?"

"We believe so," Tofu said, "Apparently he was sealed away there by one of the Tendo's ancestors, his powers greatly diminished. And he needs her blood to regain his strength."

"Hmm…" Nodoka thought for a moment, "I think I might be able to help."

"Really?" Rhys said.

"I know someone who specializes in spiritual things of that matter," Nodoka told them, "Calls himself a treasure hunter. He's been to several different planes."

"Are you sure?" Tofu asked.

"Oh yes," Nodoka said, "A very interesting fellow. I believe he's some sort of alien."

Nabiki started to look at Nodoka like she was crazy.

"He sounds extremely unreliable," Nabiki noted. '_I mean, yeah were-creatures sure, but aliens?'_

"Oh no," Nodoka said, "I've known him for quite some time. I've had to ask for his help in my own ventures before."

"Ventures?" Nabiki said flatly, "You're a treasure hunter?"

"No, not anymore," Nodoka said, "That was before Genma and I got married. You'll have to come over and see my collections someday."

"Where is this guy?" Nabiki asked, "When can we meet him?"

"I'll have to contact him once I get home," Nodoka said, "I would contact him psychically but I believe his alien nature makes him immune to psionics."

* * *

**The Next Day: Noon

* * *

**

"Nodoka, it is good to see you again!" The man said.

Said man was, in fact, the very "alien" that Nodoka had mentioned the day before. She; along with Rhys, Ukyo, Tofu, Nabiki, Cologne, and Shampoo; had made a forty minute transmute by train and a twenty minute walk to a small house of very odd architecture just outside of Tokyo.

Said man also happened to be unquestionably non-human. He stood at a impressive seven feet tall and was covered in fur very similar to Rhys' coat when in hybrid form, cheetah spots and all; although he was not covered in spots. There were some on his head, arms, and legs, but was not covered in them. The only thing that distinguished him from a werecreature was his face; whereas Rhys and Ukyo still maintained a human facial structure while in hybrid form, his facial structure was feline.

He stood there with a goofy look on his face; looking like a cat that had stolen a fish from the dinner table; with his arms out in front of him in some sort of gesture. He wore a pair of baggy jeans and a grey zip-up hoodie; hoodie worn down. He looked to be perhaps 20 years old.

"Kyros," Nodoka said back, "Thank you for meeting with us so suddenly."

"Hey, no problem-o," He waved his hand, "Whatever it was sounded pretty urgent."

"Oh!" Nodoka said suddenly, "Where are my manners? Kyros, this is Rhys, my adopted son."

Kyros looked at him for a moment with a blank face before he smiled.

"Always good to meet a fellow feline," He said.

Rhys blinked a few times. He was in human form.

"This is Ukyo," Nodoka continued.

"Ah," Kyros said, "The girl from the news. Good to see you recovering quickly."

"This is doctor Tofu Ono," Nodoka motioned to him.

"Dragon," Kyros bowed slightly. Tofu looked somewhat surprised before bowing as well.

"This is Ku Lon and Xian Pu," Nodoka said, "Amazons hailing from China. And this is Nabiki Tendo."

Cologne looked at him with a suspicious glance whereas Shampoo and Nabiki looked stunned in general.

"Welcome," He said, "Come inside. The neighbors might be used to the weird stuff that goes on around here but they still get kinda skittish when large groups of people come to the house. Of course, after the incident last summer with the anti-gravity experiment, I can't really blame them."

He simply laughed for a small while before he began moving to the house. The only person who didn't react to the strange comment was Nodoka. She followed him towards the house, her smile never leaving her face.

It was Tofu that recovered first and began to follow. It took a few more seconds for everyone else.

The inside of the house was as strange as the outside. It was fairly obvious that this style of house and home weren't native to Japan… or Earth for that matter. In the place of light bulbs were small crystals set into the ceiling that glowed with a yellowish white color. The general furniture, however, were fairly normal, aside from being connected to the floor/wall/ceiling.

"Like the décor?" Kyros said, noticing everyone looking around, "It's pretty faithful to the styles back on Ryft, albeit this planet has nowhere near the supply of All-Matter."

"All what?" Rhys asked.

Kyros simply pointed up at one of the glowing crystals.

"That stuff," He answered, "All-Matter: basically solidified energy. Back home we used the stuff to power everything from the vehicles to the televisions. I've had to compromise a bit of esthetic homeliness for practicality."

"So…" Rhys said slowly, "You're really an alien or whatever?"

"Yup," Kyros said, sitting down in a large chair equivalent to a Lay-Z-Boy, "100% Grade-A Extraterrestial. Now please sit and tell me how I can help you."

As the others were sitting down, Tofu simply adjusted his glasses for a moment.

"We need to find a way to travel into the Realm of the Dead to rescue a friend from what we believe is a vampyr lord," Tofu told him, "But we have no way of doing as such. Nodoka said that you might be able to help us."

"Realm of the Dead, huh?" Kyros thought for a moment, "Traveling to a parallel dimension is tricky business. No one present can use a Gate spell, correct?"

"Yes," Tofu said.

"Then we'll have to use an astrological gate," Kyros said, "Lucky for you, I know exactly where one is."

"Then we can go get her right now!" Rhys jumped up.

"Unfortunately…," Kyros chimed in, causing Rhys to instantly deflate, "The Astro-gate in question hasn't worked in millennia. We need to repair it before we can use it."

"This… gate," Cologne said, "I have never heard of such a thing myself. Just where is it?"

"In the United Kingdom, actually," Kyros said, "It is the gate that my comrades and I used to get to this planet."

"Didn't you just say that the gate didn't work?" Cologne said, squinting her eyes at the xenomorph in front of her.

"When we arrive here, it wasn't totally on purpose," Kyros looked at her with a stern expression, "We believe that the portal we were thrown into used the gate only as a stopping point. It was, effectively, a one way trip."

"Who are these other people you speak of?" Cologne said hotly. She was finding this alien difficult to believe, "These 'comrades'?"

Kyros looked to her for a moment, any emotion draining from his face.

"I came to this planet with three others," He said after a few moments, his voice as emotionless as his expression, "They are not currently in Japan at the moment. A few years ago, we separated to better observe the global peace."

"You believe you and three others have enough power to police the entire world?" Cologne scoffed as Kyros quirked his head to the side, but remained expressionless, "You speak madness, boy."

"Boy?" Kyros asked simply.

"Great-Grandmother?" Shampoo asked, "What is wrong?"

"I am finding it increasingly difficult to believe this… boy," Cologne said, "I have heard of no _Astrological Gates_ in any of our documents. Documents dating back over four thousand years."

"Then it is no wonder why your documents do not include the gate," Kyros said plainly, "As it was mostly destroyed much earlier than that."

"And how would you know that?" Cologne said, "By looking at your aura, you cannot be older than 20 years old. Also, with your aura, you have nowhere near the amount of power you infer. I myself have thirty times the power that you do. The only person in the room you are stronger than is Miss Tendo."

Nabiki looked at Cologne for a moment. _What?_

Of course, a few seconds later, her attention was drawn back to Kyros….

Who had begun to laugh.

"Hehehe," He said, noticing how everyone was looking at him oddly; save for Nodoka and Cologne; "Eh… sorry. She called me boy… I… kinda find that funny."

"Funny?" Cologne said, glaring at him.

"I find it funny when people try to guess my age," Kyros said, with another goofy expression on his face, "Anyway, you'll have to trust me on this."

"And why should we trust you?" Cologne asked.

"Well…," Kyros paused, "You came out to the house of someone you've never met before to ask for help, which tells me that you've run out of options. Can you afford not to trust me?"

"He has us there," Tofu replied.

"Besides," Kyros continued, "Nodoka can vouch for me. Even though I may not have much of this… Ki stuff or whatever, I'm not a pushover."

Nodoka nodded.

"Kyros is very powerful Cologne," She said, "If a bit unorthodox."

"Well," Tofu said, "If we're going to use this gate of yours, you must have some way of repairing it."

"I do," Kyros said, standing up and walking over to a small device that was positioned on the far wall, "The gate in question is only unusable because time has eroded the controlling inscriptions, or glyphs, that covered the stones away. What we need to do is find a gate that still has those glyphs so that I can copy them and then re-carve them into the gate in the UK."

Kyros placed his hand onto the small device, causing it to glow. As he pulled his hand away, the glow came with it, quickly forming into a glowing holographic keyboard in his hands. He began to type on it as a screen appeared where the device was.

"But if there is a gate that still has these glyphs," Rhys asked, "Can't we just use that one?"

"It's more complicated than that," Kyros said as he continued typing. The screen was blank for a few moments before a map of the globe came up. It quickly zoomed in towards Japan. "The gate that should still be intact is actually just off the southern tip of Japan, maybe about a half mile before the ocean surface in an ancient ruin. In such an isolated location, the glyphs should be fine. However…."

The map then zoomed into the United Kingdom.

"The funny thing about Astrological Gates is that they need to be outside," he continued, "Or at least have an unobstructed view of the night sky. They use star-charts mapped out eons ago in order to triangulate their position and to determine where they go. And something a mile under the ocean isn't gonna be able to see the sky."

"Then how are we going to get a mile under the ocean to said ruins?" Cologne asked, still miffed.

"Hmm…" Kyros said to himself, "I might have to call in a favor. Maybe Rayman can lend me a mini-sub or something."

"And who is this Rayman?" Cologne asked.

"One of my so called 'comrades'," he said, "He's one of the others from our galaxy. Tell you what, give me until tomorrow and I'll know where we stand. It'll give me time to get everything prepared and meet you guys in Nerima. I'll have to contact Pip as well, she hates it when I go off without telling her."

* * *

**Back at the Tendo's House

* * *

**

"This sucks," Rhys muttered as he sat at the table.

"You were the one that decided to go off to some weirdoes house instead of going to school like normal people," Akane said, "You would have known about the test tomorrow."

"We went to his house because he's gonna help us get Kasumi back!" Rhys countered.

"And how can someone who you've never met help us with something we don't even understand ourselves." Akane retorted.

"It's…" Rhys thought furiously for a moment to try to think of something to say. He then failed to think of anything to say, "It's complicated!"

"Nice come back, pervert," She said, walking away.

"…," Rhys stayed quiet for a moment before muttering to himself, "Stupid Tomboy…."

"What did you call me?" Akane asked in a sweet tone that was completely ruined by the fact that her left eyebrow was twitching.

Rhys looked up at her quickly and was about to deny that he said anything, but instead he decided to say something else.

"I called you a stupid tomboy," He replied plainly.

Akane's right hand twitched for a moment before clenching it into a fist.

"JERK!" She said as a huge mallet appeared in her hands. She brought it in for a horizontal strike as she spun around towards her offender.

Rhys fell backwards so that he was lying on the floor with his hands behind his head. The mallet barely missed him. Seeing this, Akane brought her hammer up above her head. She then started to swing down upon him again.

Rhys simply rolled to the right once, ending up laying on the floor; still with his hands behind his head; right next to where the hammer had slammed into the floor, demolishing it.

"Correction," He then said, "You're a SLOW stupid tomboy."

Akane roared in fury, sounding very similar to gojira (Godzilla) at the time. She hefted the hammer out of the floor. Rhys took that opportunity to stand up.

Thus Akane started to try and hit him with the hammer… and failing at it.

"Quit it," Rhys said after a while, "You're not gonna hit me."

"SHUT UP!" Akane yelled.

"You need to seriously work on your speed," Rhys said nonchalantly, "Even with your gorilla strength, someone as slow as you wouldn't be able to hit me if I was asleep.

Akane simply yelled some more in response. After a few more swings and a few more sarcastic remarks Nabiki walked into the room.

"Ranma," She said, remembering that no one besides her knew his real name and the fact that he didn't want anyone else to know, "I need to talk to you."

"Kinda busy," He said, before he resumed making sarcastic comments, "No no, you're leaving yourself wide open when you hold it over your head… and when you try it from the side… and when you're pulling the hammer out of the table. Well, really, when your _that_ slow, you pretty much leave yourself open no matter what you do."

Nabiki simply watched while rubbing her temple in aggravation.

"Ranma…" She said, "We need to talk about a bathing suit."

"What?" Rhys looked at her, completely confused.

And was, thus, distracted just long enough for Akane to plant a horizontal strike right into his face, knocking him across the room.

Akane hmphed and turned her back to him. She started to head towards her room as she said something.

"Who's slow now?"

Rhys sat up at that.

"You are, you tomboy gorilla fist!" He yelled.

The hammer was then tossed at him, managing to again hit him in his face.

Nabiki watched as her sister stormed off towards her room.

"Real smooth, Rhys," Nabiki said as soon as she knew no one was within hearing distance, "Do you get your jollies from enraged women beating your face in with a huge hammer?"

"Shut up…." Rhys said, disconnecting the hammer from his face.

* * *

**A Small While Later: Local Clothing Store

* * *

**

"Hell no."

"The ruins are a half-mile under the ocean surface," Nabiki said, "You're gonna get wet and if I remember correctly the ocean is usually filled with cold water."

Nabiki and Rhys had left the house soon after his verbal v. physical fight between Rhys and Akane. On the way to the store an elderly old lady managed to splash Rhys as she cleaned the sidewalk, activating the curse and making him a she.

"I'm not gonna wear a girls swim suit," Rhys countered.

"You don't have to wear anything revealing," Nabiki said back, "Although I do think you would look very nice in a bikini."

"I'm not wearing a girls swim suit, especially a bikini," Rhys told her.

"Trust me," Nabiki said, "After you get into the ruins, wet clothing is going to be a nightmare. That far down under the ocean is gonna be cold and with silk clothing like you normally wear it's like you're asking for hypothermia."

"I don't care."

"Remember that your silk clothes are going to cling to your body like glue. You'll practically be naked just with different clothing. And wearing wet clothing is going to be heavy. You'll thank me for making you get a bathing suit."

"No."

"They float."

Rhys blinked a few times before she turned towards Nabiki.

"What?" Rhys asked.

Nabiki pointed to Ranma's breasts, "They float. And without something to keep 'em in check, they'll be a constant handicap. Especially if you have to fight something."

Rhys narrowed her eyes at her. She was about to instantly refuse again.

She sighed instead.

"Fine," She said.

"Good," Nabiki said, "Now go back into the changing rooms and cheetah out. I'll try to find something that will fit a seven foot tall cheetah person."

"No bikinis," Rhys told her.

"I won't get any bikinis," Nabiki said, '_Besides, there are plenty of one piece swim suits that are just as revealing.'

* * *

_

_A Xenomorph is an alien creature. Xenomorphic biology is the biology of alien species._

_Oh, and the reason why Rhys, unlike cannon Ranma, is able to dodge Akane's punishment is mainly because he has lightning fast reaction time along with lightning fast speed in general. And, although he isn't super crazy lightning fast in human form, his reaction time is still crazy, crazy fast. That and he doesn't like Akane so he isn't about to take any of her crap._

_Also, I don't know if they float. Lucky me._

_WRONG TODAY!_

_(watch Sukiyaki Western Django, and then you will call me... Henry....)_


	21. Ch20: Fabulous

**Chapter Twenty: Fabulous

* * *

**

She awoke to the smell of stagnant water, the sound of bones ruslting in the dark. The cold stone floor welcomed her back into consciousness.

She sat up slowly, taking in her surroundings as panic started to flood her mind.

The room she was in was small, windowless, and featureless. There was no bed. The only door was one made of huge iron bars.

A prison cell.

Suddenly a sound came to her. The sound of a wooden door with old brass hinges opening and then closing through the cell door. The sound of armored shoes walking on the cold stones.

Soon, a man can into view. The same one who had abducted her. His cold red eyes bore into her as she could do nothing but stare back. The man did not say a word, just simply standing there.

Finally, Kasumi found the courage to speak.

"Wh-where am I?" She asked.

"A prison cell within the palace of my master," The man stated simply.

"What am I doing here?" She asked, "What do you want?"

"You are here because my master has need of you," He said.

"Who are you?"

"Are you going to continue asking pointless questions?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

Kasumi shrank back a small bit, but it only took a few moments for her to recover at least some of her composure. Silence reigned for a moment.

"Um…" She said after a good minute or two of the strangely awkward silence, "Is there something you wanted?"

The man closed his eyes for a moment.

"I am sorry," He said simply, with no emotion.

"Wh-what?" Kasumi asked, "Why?"

"I cannot say," He remarked plainly, "My master knows everything that happens in this hollow castle."

Kasumi paused for a moment.

"What does he want?" She asked, looking off into space with a fearful expression on her face.

"With your blood," the man said, "He will regain his power, enact revenge on the fools who dared to cross him, and conquer the known cosmos."

Kasumi nearly fainted on the spot.

"The ceremony is to take place in two weeks," He said plainly. He then walked off.

Kasumi closed her eyes.

* * *

**Back At the Clothing Store

* * *

**

"This is a lost cause and you know it," Rhys' voice rang out from the changing room. She and Nabiki had been in the clothing store for almost an hour now. It had been one refusal after another, "Can we just leave? This is embarrassing."

"Why are you embarrassed? You've been behind a closed door the entire time," Nabiki asked.

"I'm not a girl," Rhys' voice replied in a very feminine voice, "I don't want to wear a girls bathing suit. And I've been stuck in here trying on bathing suits that don't fit right for ages! They're all too small and none of them have a tail hole!"

"Easy now," Nabiki said from where she was leaning up against the wall, right next to the door Rhys was behind, "Go easy on shouting about your tail. People already started looking in our direction when I asked if they had bathing suits that would fit a nine foot tall woman."

"I'm not nine feet tall," Rhys retorted, "I'm 8'9"."

"Close enough," Nabiki said, "We still have a few more to try. If those don't work we'll have to resort to a spandex body suit."

"Great…." Rhys muttered, she then started to mumble something to herself.

Nabiki was about to ask Rhys to repeat what she had mumbled but she stopped as she noticed a woman heading over towards them. She appeared to be a middle aged Japanese woman with long black hair. She was relatively attractive and sported some very oddly colored amber yellow eyes.

"Excuse me," She said with a smile, "I couldn't help but overhear your friend shouting."

"Sorry about that," Nabiki said, "She's apparently having clothing issues."

At that moment, as if on cue, there was a loud snapping sound that came from the changing room followed closely by Rhys yelping.

"You okay in there?" Nabiki asked.

"…Yeah," Rhys answered after a moment.

"If I may ask a question," the woman asked, "Your friend wouldn't happen to be… a werecreature, would she?"

"Huh?" Nabiki asked, "Why do you ask?"

"She was shouting about her tail and everyone in the store is talking about a nine foot tall girl in the changing rooms that none of them saw enter the store in the first place," The woman smiled, "In my experience that can only mean one thing. And if she's looking for a bathing suit, you'll have better luck at a werecreature friendly shop."

"Werecreature friendly?" Rhys' voice asked. She had frozen in place the instant she had heard the woman say that word.

"Yes," The woman smiled, "My son owns a clothing shop just a few minutes away that secretly caters to non-humans. I'd be happy to show you there."

* * *

**A Few Minutes Later at Boutique Le'Shique

* * *

**

"This seems like a pretty normal shop to me," Nabiki noted, looking around, "Albeit that the fashions are… unique."

"My son is a fashion designer," the woman told her, "Most of the clothing he designed himself. We keep the non-human clothing in the back. We'll have get my son Arata to get your measurements first. Wait here and I'll go get him."

She walked off towards the back of the store, leaving Nabiki and Rhys to stand in the middle of the store. Nabiki started to look through the various racks of clothing, looking at the clothing. More than a few made her raise an eyebrow. Rhys, on the other hand, stood in one stop and didn't move.

"I hate this store," She said suddenly.

"Oh come now, isn't that being a little harsh," Nabiki looked at him, "Granted that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing some of the these things but the less… 'exotic' looking ones look good."

"This store only sells women's clothes," Rhys said, "Any man would hate being inside this store. And the 'exotic' clothing looks like they came straight out a bondage porno."

"Personally I think you'd look good in this one," Nabiki said, pulling a piece of clothing off the rack.

Said piece of clothing was a full body skintight leather suit that had more zippers than was morally acceptable.

"NO." Rhys glared at her. Nabiki replied with a sinister chuckle.

Nabiki quickly put the suit back as she heard someone noisily coming over to them. The man that was heading over towards them was a relatively tall very effeminate looking man with the same jet-black hair and yellow eyes as the woman. He was wearing a poofy white shirt with the ruffle at the cuffs under a black leather vest and a pair of black leather pants. The clothing looked to be a few sizes too large for him.

"So," He said, looking at Rhys, "Is this the little pretty that needs a bathing suit?"

Rhys just looked at him with a blank expression.

"Um… yes," Nabiki said, "Your mother said that you might have something that will fit her."

The man threw up his hands suddenly.

"Tut tut tut, say no more!" He said before he grabbed Rhys' hand, "Come on sweet-cheeks, we're gonna make you look FABULOUS!!!"

Rhys had a look of utter horror on her face. She looked at Nabiki, her expression pleading her to save her. Nabiki just shook her head and sighed. She simply followed behind them as the man lead them into the back room.

Said back room had a small stage in the middle and had at least a dozen full body mirrors; not to mention a few cameras set up on tripods. This caused Nabiki to raise and eyebrow.

"You do photo shoots here?" She asked.

"Look sweetie," The man, Arata, said, motioning towards himself, "Wither its clothes or pictures, with this boy, its just FASHION!!!"

Jazz hands!

Arata pulled rhys up onto the stage in the middle of the room. Rhys' face was beet red at this point.

She took it back. This is WAY worse than the other store. Sure all of the stuff there had cut of blood circulation to 90% of her body but she wasn't on a freakin' stage!

Arata looked at her, standing there stiffly.

"No no no, sweetie!" Arata said, "I can't work fashion magic with you all stuffy like that. You need to relax and let the _animal _inside of you run free! I'll go first, okay? Now, waaaatch."

Arata did a small spin, changing from a tall Asian man to an even taller werepanther in the process. His baggy clothing suddenly seemed to fit. He ended with some more jazz hands.

"Your turn!" He smiled.

It took her a moment, but Rhys eventually shifted into her hybrid form. This caused Arata to gasp. This also caused Rhys' clothing to become skintight.

"Oh… my… god…," Arata said slowly, fanning himself, "I don't believe it. I've just GOT to tell mother. Be right baaaaack!"

He quickly reverted into human form and ran from the room.

Rhys and Nabiki stood there for a moment.

"Well, he's an interesting fellow," Nabiki noted.

"Interesting doesn't cut it," Rhys replied.

At that moment, Arata returned to the back room with his mother.

"Oh my," his mother said with a smile, "I see you weren't kidding. A real, live werecheetah. Oh, it warms my heart…. We need to tell the girls about this."

"Girls?" Rhys asked.

"Oh ladies~!" Arata called.

Soon, four girls came into the room from the various doorways.

And thus began a small lot of time that was filled with girlish talking and giggling; which Arata was included within.

Rhys sinked deeper into the depths of her embarrassment.

"Ladies, ladies," Arata finally said after a few minutes, "Business!"

The girls instantly fanned out around the room, surrounding the small stage that Rhys was on, and all of them changing from human to werecreature. Two were jaguars, one was a tiger, and the last another panther. Arata also shifted.

"Okay," Arata said, "Measurements!"

And they all pounced.

* * *

**A Small While Later

* * *

**

"This is a nightmare," Rhys sighed. They had just finished getting her measurements, most of which she didn't even knew existed.

"Okay," Arata said, "Now, what are we wanting today?"

"A few bathing suits," Nabiki said, "Something light but doesn't tear easily."

"Ooohuhu," Arata said, "Adventurous little something."

Rhys looked at him harshly at that.

"Anyway," Arata said, shrugging off the glare, "Are we talking one piece or something _sexy_?"

"One piece," Rhys said quickly.

"Oh, come now sweetie," Arata said, waving her off, "You have the body most girls would positively _die_ for. I can't very well let you leave without something _fabulous_!"

"I don't want to l…!" Rhys started to say loudly.

"Tut tut!" Arata said, shushing her, "This isn't up to discussion! Now… when we talk about not tearing easily, could you elaborate a little."

"She's a martial artist from Nerima," Nabiki said plainly.

"Ah." Arata said, "Then I'll just have to use the strongest material available. We have this _lovely_ line that has threads of mythril woven into it for _max_imum durability."

* * *

**About An Hour Later

* * *

**

"That was a nightmare," Rhys said.

At this point, it was getting kind of late in the day. The sky had already turned into the vibrant yellows and oranges of dusk. Rhys and Nabiki were leaving the shopping district with their purchaces.

"Oh hush," Nabiki said, "We got your bathing suits. Two one piece suits and one rather… 'riskay' bikini."

"I will never wear that ever again," Rhys said quickly.

"Mm-hmm," Nabiki smirked, "I saw your expression when you saw yourself in the mirror. You spent almost ten minutes checking yourself out before Arata had to tell you to take it off."

Rhys just looked down, her face beet red again.

"Not a word of this to anyone," She said in a low voice.

"Don't worry," Nabiki said, "If I told anyone about this they'd want me to explain, which might mean your secret would come up. I won't risk it."

Rhys sighed.

"I just want to get back and forget about this whole day," She said, "Who knew trying on bathing suits would be so exhausting. I just wanna go to bed."

"Didn't Akane say you had a test tomorrow at school or something?" Nabiki asked.

"…Crap."

* * *

**The Next Day

* * *

**

Thankfully, the next day wasn't as hard as Rhys had imagined it being. He had spent the entire day waiting for one of the teachers to announce that the test was going to begin. However, it turned out that the test that they had that day was in English class; as the test was being passed out, Rhys was relieved and easily breezed through the test. Most of the students came through the test with their head hung low in defeat. Akane had noticed that Rhys was the only one who really didn't.

After classes Rhys and Akane were walking towards the Tendo residence together, silent as usual.

"You seem pretty calm about the test," Akane noted, "With a nightmare of a test like that, I would think you'd get the lowest score."

"Nah, the test was easy," Rhys told her.

"Really," Akane replied, "Why would you say that?"

"English was my first language," Rhys told her, "Everyone in the tribe spoke english."

"Your tribe?" Akane raised an eyebrow, "Where did you live, the Sahara?"

"No!" Rhys shot back. He then paused for a few seconds, "We lived _south_ of the Sahara."

"Really?" Akane asked, looking at him like she didn't believe him.

"Really," Rhys said.

"So you're a jungle boy?" Akane asked.

"What? No! Chee…" Rhys said before stopping cold. He was about to comment on how cheetahs don't live in the jungle. No, no, can't say that, "It was the plains! You know, where the lions, rhinos, gazelle, and zebra are?"

Akane just looked at him as he tried to avoid her gaze. After a few seconds he began to jog to try and get away from her.

"H-hey!" Akane said, "Where are you going?!"

"I'm not gonna wait around for someone as slow as you!" Rhys said, "I'll see you back at the house!"

"Grrr! Get back here!" Akane said, coming after him. He started to jog faster and faster, easily keeping out of her reach.

"Neh neh neh!" He taunted her, "Never gonna catch me!"

At this point, they were already coming up on the Tendo residence. Rhys let up a little on his speed as he neared the gate. And at the exact moment he came to the gate….

"HOY!!!" Someone suddenly leaned out of the gate with their hand raised up into the air. This caused Rhys to come to a dead halt, almost causing Akane to slam into him from behind.

The man that stood there was about six feet tall with shoulder length dirty blonde hair; a goofy expression on his face. He was wearing a pair of loose kakis and a green t-shirt under a long brown coat.

They stood there for a few seconds: Rhys and Akane with a confused and shocked expression on his face and the man with the same goofy expression. Silence reigned for a few moments.

Until Nodoka walked around the man with the goofy expression.

"Kyros, I think you've struck them dumb," She said.

"I have that effect," the man said.

Rhys looked over 'Kyros'. He didn't really look anything like the anthropomorphic cheetah man he had met yesterday; this guy was human.

"What?" Rhys asked no one in particular.

"I'll explain later," Kyros said quickly, "I'm here helping Nodoka gather all your things."

"Gather my… what?" Rhys asked.

"Ranma, who are these people?" Akane asked.

Rhys turned to her.

"Th-this is Nodoka, my adopted mother," Rhys told her, "And this is Kyros… I think."

"You _think_?" Akane noted before looking at Kyros, "Hey, is he the guy that's supposed to help you get Kasumi back?"

"Kyros Daithi; treasure hunter, spelunker, and part time demonologist," Kyros said, bowing, "I'm also somewhat of an engineer, but not while I'm on the job."

"Right," Akane said darkly, "I'm going inside."

Kyros stepped out of the way for Akane to pass. They watched her go into the front door.

"What's up with her?" Kyros asked.

"I dunno," Rhys told him before he changed the subject, "What was this about gathering my stuff together?"

"Oh," Nodoka said, "Doctor Tofu and I talked a little bit this morning and we came to decision that it would be best for you and Ukyo to move somewhere a little less hectic. My house is far too big for just one person to live in, so I thought I would extend the offer."

"Move out of here?" Rhys asked, thinking about it, before he quickly replied, "Wait. Would Genma stay here?"

"Doctor Tofu and I both agree that, due to the obvious way you feel about him and the sensitivity of your and Ukyo's position that he should remain here," Nodoka told him.

"He flew into a rage when Nodoka brought it up," Kyros said, "He went on about some nonsense about the schools not being joined or something. He and Mr. Tendo cried up a storm too. Kinda disturbing if you ask me."

"I've been trying to qualm the storm," Nabiki's voice came. She had just come out of the door, "They've stopped crying and started drinking. It's gonna be hell in this house with both Rhys and Kasumi gone."

"You gonna be okay?" Rhys asked.

"What, you worried about me?" Nabiki asked, looking at him with an eyebrow raised. She laughed a little bit as Rhys got flustered, "Don't worry about it. You get Kasumi back home safely and I'll be able to smooth out the rest. Most of it at least."

* * *

_It's funny but in GD there really aren't that many types of werecreatures. Wolves, rats, and various species of cat. That's about it. And sorry if the first part of the clothing shop was a little… off. I threw it together off the top of my head, being that I had made a small mistake in thinking that that the last part of Ch19 was really the first part of Ch20; completely throwing my story plan off kilter for a small moment. I had planned to change a small part a little before posting it… until I realized that I had already posted that part. Mostly it was the fight that Akane and Rhys had at the end of Ch19. I've cleared it up._

_And no offence to any overly effeminate male fashion designers intended. Keep… uh… doing whatever it is that you do… or something._

_You might think that Nabiki's been getting really out of character, but I would like to disagree. I mean… come on…._

_Come on…._

_Anyway, here's a quick BLURB that'll explain a little bit more about Rhys that I think I should clarify.

* * *

_

_**Who Rhys is:**__ Basically, Rhys is Ranma with a more troubled past. He doesn't tolerate Genma at all, but then again, Ranma didn't tolerate him very much either. A troubled past can make a person icy and sometimes even cruel even though they may be a good person. Rhys is more independent, something that he developed since he basically saw himself as being all alone throughout most of his life. He's a good bit more socially acceptable. Sometimes he's sarcastic and cold, but he's also sometimes animated and funny. He has a huge since of justice and won't sit around while someone around him is suffering or in danger. He has a drive to get things done, an iron will, and a kind nature. He is, however, a troubled person, and is sometimes unable to cope with certain situations; sometimes lashing out or sinking into depression._

_He doesn't remember his childhood before and up to the 'incident'. Repressed memories and all that. In fact, he doesn't remember how he got to Japan either. He is plagued by recurring nightmares about the incident, which are really all he remembers about it. For a description of the nightmares, reread the very very beginning of this story. Or I can repost it here for your viewing pleasure. Hynah!

* * *

_

The roar of an inferno….

The sick smell of burnt hair….

The heat of the flames and the cold night wind….

Alone… all alone…

Father…. Gone. Mother…. Worse. Sister…. Lost….

A man. A leader. A traitor. A murderer. A name uttered in silence.

Another man. An angel. A savior who fought the murderer. The traitor is cast down.

But not before a young boys life is utterly destroyed….

Painful flashes and images. Unintelligible words spoken as if in a dream. Memory fades. Sorrow prevails.

_Pain. Heartbreak. And finally release.

* * *

_

_Pretty soon we'll start diving into Rhys past and he'll start remembering some things. It'll be painful. TO YOU! MY WORDS WILL STAB AT YOUR EYES LIKE A THOUSAND SPEARS! SERIF! NONE OF THAT SAN SERIF BULL CRAP! THEY WILL BE POINTY AND HAVE SPURS! _

_SPURS!!!_

_Mwahaha._

_~EB_


	22. Ch21: Relocations and Revelations

**Chapter Twenty One: Relocations and Revelations**

* * *

**Tendo Place!

* * *

**

It had been a few minutes since Nodoka, Kyros, and Rhys had left. Genma and Soun were still drinking away their sorrows babbling on about how the schools won't be joined. Akane was steadily getting more and more angry with them.

At first, she shouted about how she was happy that the 'pervert' was gone. Then she shouted about how, with Kasumi kidnapped, they had the nerve to cry about someone else. Then she shouted at them because the constant crying and smell of sake was getting on her nerves. Then she shouted something a long line of obscenities that would make a drunken sailor green with envy.

Nabiki stood off to the side with a pair of headphones on the whole time. The headphones weren't hooked up to anything but they did effectively blocked most of the crying and shouting. She was reading a magazine article as Akane wandered over towards her.

"I can't believe they're so broken up over that… that…," She growled for a moment, "Pervert!"

"I'll agree with you on that," Nabiki said. Akane was close enough to her that she could hear her through the earphones.

"So you agree that he's a pervert?" Akane asked.

"No," Nabiki looked up at her for a moment and then back down to the magazine, "I agree that Daddy and Mr. Saotome are going a bit overboard with the water fountains they have coming out of their faces."

"…" Akane paused for a moment, before suddenly asking, "You've been spending a lot of time with Ranma, right?"

Nabiki looked up at her again, "And?"

"How can you stand to be around him?!" She said loudly, "He's so… annoying."

"He annoys you because he doesn't like you," Nabiki noted emotionlessly.

"Hmph," Akane sat down across the table from her sister, "I don't see why…."

"Really?" Nabiki asked, "It's only been a month. You don't remember saying what you did when we first met him?"

"Saying what?" Akane asked.

"That little remark you made about him being left of a doorstep," Nabiki reminded her, "Just before he blew up in your face?"

Akane grumbled a bit, "Yeah, I guess I remember that…. Did you know he had the nerve to lie to me and say that he was from the Sahara? Why would he just go and make something up like that?"

"I dunno," Nabiki answered, closing the magazine and putting it on the table, "Maybe he _is_ from the Sahara. Where are you going with the questions?"

"Wh-what?" Akane asked, looking confused.

"You keep changing the subject every other few sentences," Nabiki told her.

"We… well…" Akane thought for a moment, "I don't know. Something about him seems… off."

"Off?" Nabiki quirked and eyebrow.

"I mean," Akane said, "I've looked through tons of the books in the school library and I can't find one place in the world where people look like him."

'_I see where this is going_,' Nabiki thought to herself, she picked up the magazine again before replying, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Akane said, "Have you ever seen anyone else that looks like him? He has dark skin, _bright_ blonde hair _with spots_, yellow-green eyes, and pointy ears!"

"Can't say that I have," She agreed.

"And then that Ukyo girl!" Akane said, "She may look like a normal Japanese girl but she has the same hair, the same eyes, and pointy ears."

"Maybe it's a new fashion trend," Nabiki offered.

"I don't think so," Akane shook her head. She paused for a moment, "Did you see what happened when that guy came and kidnapped her?"

Nabiki sighed and looked down for a few moments before staring at her sister for a while.

"No," She said, "That same person kidnapped _me_ the day before. He didn't really leave me in a room that had a TV with basic cable. Are you sure you don't have amnesia from when you got clubbed over the head?"

Akane's face went beet red.

"S-sorry," She said sheepishly.

"But to answer your question," Nabiki continued, "No, I didn't _see_ it, but I did hear about it."

"Then you know that Ukyo turned into a cheetah, right?!" Akane asked, "If she could do something like that then Rhys should be able to do that too!"

"What, are you saying their sorcerers or something?" Nabiki asked.

"No," Akane said, "I… I don't think Ranma's human. I think he's some sort of _demon_ or something."

"You're kidding, right?" Nabiki looked at her as if she was crazy.

"No, I really do!" Akane retorted, "What if Ranma's some sort of demon creature that can… you know… infect other people or something and turn them into the same thing he is!"

"I think that you're taking too many crazy pills in the morning," Nabiki replied.

"I'm serious!"

"I don't doubt that your serious," Nabiki said, "But I have to disagree with you. Ranma isn't capable of something like that. If he was some evil demon creature come to turn all of Nerima into demons why would he save me from that psycho?"

"W-well…" Akane thought about it for a moment before glancing up at Nabiki with a strange expression. Nabiki, seeing the odd look her sister was giving her, raised an eyebrow.

After a few moments, it dawned on her.

"Oh no," Nabiki said, "You can't be serious. You think he infected me with demon juices or something? Don't be a lunatic, Akane; I'm a perfectly normal human being. Trust me, Ranma isn't going to 'infect' anyone or anything."

"And how would you know?" Akane asked.

"Because I've actually had civil conversations with him," Nabiki said, "and with Ukyo. Remember, I was with them at Dr. Tofu's clinic; I went with them when they were planning to get Kasumi back."

Nabiki noticed that Akane suddenly adopted an expression that even she, with her great skills in reading people, wasn't able to understand.

"You…" Akane said, "You know what he is, don't you?"

Nabiki blinked a few times. '_Of all of the times Akane has jumped to conclusions, why did she manage to actually jump to the correct one this time. Think fast, Nabiki; not answering right away will make her suspicions even stronger and she won't believe an outright denial.'_

"Although he's obviously been traumatized by a horrible childhood," Nabiki replied, "He's surprisingly normal."

"You didn't answer the question!" Akane banged her hands on the table.

'_Damnit,'_ Nabiki thought, before answering, "Because I'm not going to answer it."

"Why not?!" Akane asked.

"Because you're obviously been obsessing over it," Nabiki told her, "I'm not going to indulge you or anything."

"I'm not obsessed with that pervert!" Akane shouted loudly. Nabiki smirked; Akane was nothing if not predictable.

"Then why so many questions about him?" Nabiki asked, smirking.

"I'm…" Akane sputtered for a moment, "I'm just worried, okay?!"

"Why are you worried about him?" Nabiki had managed to turn the conversation around.

"I'm not worried about that pervert!" Akane said, standing up and walking away.

Nabiki smirked; crisis averted.

* * *

**Saotome Residence

* * *

**

Rhys had arrived at Nodoka's house about thirty minutes before Nabiki and Akane's conversation had started. Ukyo arrived a few minutes later with Dr. Tofu. Nodoka then gave them a tour of the grounds.

The Saotome house was much bigger than the Tendo home. Whereas the Tendo home was simple a large house, the Saotome home was a large _manor_. It was two stories and was surrounded by a brick slate fence with a large black iron gate at the entrance. The manor itself was on a very large piece of land that included a small orchard of cherry trees perhaps a few acres in size and dozens of acres of natural forest beyond that.

The manor interior itself is… interesting. Not as unique as Kyros' home, but unique in its strange mixtures of cultures and themes. There were many things that Rhys and Ukyo had never even heard of or had only seen pictures off.

For example: in one room Nodoka had a moai head that she had gotten from Easter Island, a collection of authentic tiki masks, the hand and eye of Vecna, and what she had simply called the 'spear of destiny', which she claimed to have recovered from Germany. In another room she had an absolutely humongous TV and an equally huge couch in front of it. Next to that room was a traditional Japanese sitting room. The dining room was European style with china plates she had gotten strait from China. Upstairs, the individual guest rooms; which there were five of; each had their own theme: ranging from an African theme to an American theme to what she claimed was an Atlantian theme. Another room had honest to goodness laser weaponry in it.

Rhys had just finished carrying his and Ukyo's things to their respective rooms; Rhys had decided to take the African themed room and Ukyo a traditional Japanese themed room; they reconvened in the front hall. It was a large open hallway that had the staircase off to one side. It led strait into the kitchen with the living room to the right and the dining room to the left. The room full of crazy stuff was through the living room.

As Rhys and Ukyo descended the staircase, they caught the tail end of Kyros apparently shape shifting back into the form they first saw him in.

"Whoa," Rhys said, "How'd you do that?"

"Haha," Kyros chuckled, his feline face smirking, "I have more in common with you that just our spots. I'm a shape shifter. This is the form I'm most comfortable with, even though it isn't my true form. Realize that everyone within this house right now is a shape shifter in one way or another."

"Wha?" Rhys asked as he looked at Nodoka. She simply smiled merrily and then suddenly sprouted horns; they started just above her ears and swept back behind her head. Her ears also became pointed.

"I'm what's called a Rakshasa," Nodoka said, "All Rakshasa are telepathic and can change shape."

"Genma doesn't know that either, does he?" Rhys asked.

"No," Nodoka shook her head, "And it's a good thing that he doesn't."

"So," Kyros said, leaning up against the nearby wall, "What's next on the itinerary?"

"I think it would be best if we could discuss our plans to get these glyphs we need to repair the gate," Tofu suggested.

"Aw…," Kyros deflated a little before perking back up, "Eh, whatever. Gonna have to do it sooner or later."

Kyros then reached to his side and pulled a small device from his pocket; something that looked like a cell phone except it seemed to use the same technology as the devices in his own house. Around it was a band of glowing blue crystal, just like the crystals in his house. Pushing a small button a small screen appeared with a keyboard; the phone itself began to hover in place.

"I got in contact with Rayman yesterday," Kyros said, pushing a few buttons, "He said that he has a mini-sub that would be perfect. He should be arriving with it… tomorrow around noon. He'll pilot us down there and pick us up when we're done."

"He isn't going to assist us inside of the ruins?" Tofu asked.

"It's more complicated than that," Kyros replied, "The entrance is near a recently discovered area where the seabed is strangely angular. People think that it might be some sort of ancient ruins and they might be right. When we're in the ruins, we can't have the sub just sitting there because it'll attract a lot of attention. Besides, I think we'll be able to handle anything that's in there."

"What kinda stuff might be in there?" Rhys asked.

"Hard to say," Kyros shook his head as he returned the small device to his pocket, "If it's the type of ruin I'm thinking of there shouldn't be any traps or anything, but it might have some nasty residents. Giant undersea creatures are always a possibility. There might also being some strait up evil creatures down there: demons and the like."

"D-demons?" Ukyo asked, kinda surprised.

"Yeah," Kyros said, "They seem to always hang out in old ruins. But we'll have a Kitsune, a Gold Dragon, a werecheetah, and me so we should be able to handle a few demons pretty easy."

"Yes," Tofu said, "I've been meaning to ask. You seem to know of our capabilities; may I ask what yours are?"

"Ah ah ah," Kyros said, waving his finger, "That's a secret. And it's a secret because the anticipation that secret causes amuses me."

Silence prevailed for a small moment as that sunk in.

"Ah, what the hell," Kyros said, "Here's a teaser. You already know of my shape shifting abilities, right?"

He waited for the others to confirm that.

"Well, I also have a great deal of energy manipulation," Kyros continued, "Not spell casting, just strait up energy manipulation; electricity and gravity mostly. I also have several mental tricks and supernatural senses. That was why I could tell you two were werecheetahs and that Doc here was a dragon even though you were in human form; your auras practically screamed it at me. Other than that… you'll just have to wait and see."

"I… see," Tofu said, "What time are we planning to set off tomorrow?"

"Kinda up in the air at the momento," Kyros said, "Rayman is getting here at about noon and it'll take a few hours to get the ship to the water. Possibly around three or four o'clock in the afternoon? And then it'll take about 45 minutes to get to the site. You guys could always show up at the loading dock he's arriving at around noon so we can get things in motion as soon as possible."

"I'll do that," Tofu said, "Can I have the address?"

At this point, Rhys looked kinda bored with the conversation.

"Yeah, gimme a moment," Kyros said, pulling out that device again, he hit a few buttons on the keyboard that popped up until it displayed the information, "Do… do you have anything to write on or something?"

Tofu blinked a few times before he pulled out a small business card. He handed it to Kyros who then wrote down the information using one of his claws. He handed it back to Tofu, who looked at it. The information seemed to be written in green ink.

"I'm guessing the ink from the claw thing is one of those secret powers?" He deadpanned.

"Kinda," Kyros smirked as Tofu put the business card back into his wallet.

"Anyway," Tofu then said, "I've been meaning to ask. I was wondering if you might explain a small bit about this technology you've been using."

"Sure," Kyros said, "Ain't got anything else to do for a few hours."

Rhys shook his head.

"Well, I'm going to go out into the orchard to stretch my legs," He said as he turned around, "You comin', Ukyo?"

"Sure," She said.

* * *

**A Few Minutes Later; Out in the Orchard

* * *

**

Rhys slowed to a stop near where Ukyo was sitting on the ground.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Y-yeah," Ukyo said as she stood and brushed the grass off of her knees, "I just was expecting to be able to go so fast!"

They were both deep within the cheery trees, both in hybrid form. Rhys was wearing his traditional silks that Nodoka had actually gotten hemmed to fit his hybrid form. Ukyo was wearing what used to be a baggy t-shirt and baggy pants that both became none-to-baggy with the transformation.

"Oh yeah," Rhys smirked, "Werecheetahs are built for speed! You just need to get used to using your tail to help balance yourself while running at high speeds. I would take it easy for now though; you'll need both arms to keep balance when you get up to the crazy high speeds. I'd try to keep it under 60mph for now."

"How fast was I going?" Ukyo asked.

"Hmm…" Rhys though, "Maybe 70, give or take. That's nowhere near top speed, though. I've been wanting to try and break the sound barrier for a long time but I didn't have the time or running space to do it."

"Th-the sound barrier?!" Ukyo looked at him, shocked.

"Sure," Rhys said, "Although I don't know how fast that really is. My guess would be around seven or eight hundred."

"Werecheetahs can break the sound barrier?!" Ukyo shouted.

"Why not?" Rhys shrugged.

Ukyo simply walked over towards one of the cherry trees and sat down next to it.

"Nodoka's house is so pretty," Ukyo said, looking at the cherry trees. They weren't blossomed just yet, but they would in a month or two.

"And her house is full of _crazy_ stuff," Rhys deadpanned.

"She does have… unique tastes," Ukyo agreed, "So you didn't know that she was a… Rakshasa?"

"Nope," Rhys shook his head, "Although I knew she was good at keeping secrets."

There was a small pause as the wind rustled the trees.

"Did you live here back when they first adopted you?" Ukyo asked.

"Nah," Rhys said, walking over and leaning up against the same tree Ukyo was sitting beside, "We lived in a small house in Tokyo. I guessing Nodoka kept this place a secret from Genma; he would have flipped his wig."

"It's hard to imagine someone like that marrying Nodoka," Ukyo said.

"Nodoka swears up and down that he was different before," Rhys said, "I dunno; I don't see it in him. He'd swindle a kid for his candy in a heartbeat."

"I doubt that," Ukyo looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Eh," Rhys shrugged, "Maybe not, but he isn't much better."

"Yeah," Ukyo agreed, "He did run off and leave me when I was supposed to go with you t…"

"Wait," Rhys said, cutting her off.

Ukyo blinked a few times.

"What?" She asked. She looked at him as he walked away from her a small bit, looking around, "Rhys? What is it?"

"Something's' here," He said, "I can smell it."

Ukyo blinked again before sniffing herself. She smelled the trees and the fresh air but there was a slight scent of something. It was a musty smell with the tang of blood.

"Wh…" She said, "What is that smell? It smells like… blood."

The wind rustled through the cherry trees and after a few moments, they could hear footsteps comings towards them. They both turned to look.

"You…" Rhys snarled.

The person stopped about twenty feet away from him. Rhys slowly moved over to be between him and Ukyo.

"Brother…," the man said.

"R-Rhys…?" Ukyo said, looking at the person, "Wh-who is that?"

"Have no fear, brother," the man said as he watched Rhys move to defend Ukyo, "I have no intention of harming her."

"He's the guy that kidnapped Kasumi," Rhys growled, sinking into a ready combat stance, "What do you want? Come to take me out before I can take Kasumi back?!"

The man simple shook his head slowly.

"It…" He said, "It is more complicated than that."

Rhys looked confused for a moment.

"What are you talking about?" Rhys said, "Did you come to fight or not?!"

"All in due time, brother," the man responded.

"Rhys…" Ukyo said quietly, "That man…"

Rhys glanced to her.

"He has horns like Nodoka's…"

Rhys turned back to the man. Sure enough, he did. He had a set of horns that went from his ears back around his head, just like Nodoka. He also had the same ears.

"Huh," Rhys said after a few moments, "I guess that explains why you looked so familiar…"

The man closed his eyes and slowly nodded.

"You're Ranma, aren't you?" Rhys asked.

* * *

**Back At the House

* * *

**

"It's called Theoretical Energy Technology," Kyros said, "Or T.E. Tech for short. The way it works is much simpler than human technology; what the people on my home planet Ryft call 'Artificial Technology'. Whereas human technology replies on binary code; little ones and zeros that a device interprets; T.E. Tech is raw energy manipulation through different glyphs and symbols. It's the same technology that the Astrological Gates use."

Tofu and Kyros were sitting in the traditional Japanese sitting room going over the small device that Kyros had pulled out earlier.

"Then it is similar to magic," Tofu noted, looking at the small device that Kyros had activated and let him look at.

"In a way, yeah," Kyros nodded, "Of course, one of the funny things about it is that a whole lot of things from human science can be used to explain how T.E. Tech works. If you know Einstein's theory of relativity, you know that matter and energy are the same things just in different forms. That's the principle behind using T.E. Tech to project keyboards and panels that can be felt and manipulated physically."

"I'm going to go get some tea," Nodoka said, "Would either of you like some?"

"Yes, that would be lovely," Tofu answered.

"Yes, please!" Kyros said.

"What sort of energy can be manipulated?" Tofu asked, turning back towards the small device.

"All sorts," Kyros smirked, "Think about it. It's called Theoretical Energy. _Gravity_ is a theory. Moreover, gravity manipulation is how it can float in the air like this. It produced a swell of anti-gravity equal to the amount of gravity pulling down on it. Whereas on the fabric of space-time the planet is causing a huge dip the device is creative a huge _bulge_ the same strength but in a much smaller area. Watch what happens if you idly tap it on the side."

Kyros reached over and tapped the small device on the side. It floats off for a few feet before slowing to a stop.

"It has several inscriptions; basically T.E. Techs version of coding; that judge its current inertia and counter acts it to stop it after a few feet," Kyros said, "And it also is capable of moving in perfect synch with the keyboard or screen if moved."

He grabbed the screen and pulled it over towards himself. The device moved along with it.

"T.E. Technology even has the capability of mimicking a bag of holding," Kyros said, " I didn't bring it with me but I have a device back at my house that can break down non-living matter into the different energies that compose it. It uses that theory of relativity; mass and energy are the same thing. It then stores that energy; along with the data that tells how said object was structurally, and stores it inside a its All-Matter core."

"All-Matter," Tofu said, "You spoke of it back at your house."

As he said this, Nodoka walked back into the room with a tea tray.

"All-Matter is solidified energy. Thanks, Nodoka," Kyros said as she placed a cup of tea in front of him. He took a small sip before continuing, "It doesn't have any chemical properties. Basically it's the raw building blocks of the universe. Ryft is covered in the stuff, which is why they were able to create this technology."

"I take it the glowing blue crystal inside this… what do you call it?" Tofu asked, as Nodoka handed him some tea, "Thank you, Nodoka. I take it that the crystal is All-Matter."

"Yep," Kyros said, "And I call this little doohickey a T.E. Palm Top. Basically a T.E. Tech version of a laptop. I can even get it to run some computer games."

"It's compatible with human technology?" Tofu asked, taking a sip of tea.

"T.E. Tech is what the people of Ryft call 'Natural Technology'," Kyros told him, "And no, typically it isn't compatible with the human 'Artificial Technology'. But I said I was somewhat of an engineer; if you understand the concepts of T.E. Tech forwards and backwards like I do, it isn't too hard find loopholes you can use to mesh the two. Of course, a few of my 'secret capabilities' allow me to cheat when it comes too…"

He suddenly trailed off. Tofu blinked as Kyros face went blank for a moment. He then heard Nodoka nearly drop her cup of tea. He looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment.

When the woman with telepathic powers and the guy who said he had several types of ESP just suddenly stop moving at exactly the same time, something was up.

"What is it?" Tofu asked.

* * *

_OH SNAP! Didn't expect the real Ranma to show up, did ya!?! HELL NAW! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I love the plot twists! I revel in their glory! And don't worry, that isn't the end of them either!_

_I like semi-colons; they are useful and make me look smart! _

_I also like switching back and forth from place to place as things are happening simultaneously. It gives the story a little bit more suspense._

_For those of you who do not know how large an ACRE is, one acre is equivalent to 43,560 square feet._

_A "moai ahu" is one of the heads from Easter Island. Look up Easter Island on Wikipedia and you'll see 'em._

_Word up to my DnD playin' brothahs an' sistahs. Vecna is in the hizzie! Of course, DnD Rakshasa and Gold Digger Rakshasa are completely different. Nodoka isn't a tiger-person, tyrannical, physical incarnation of evil with backwards hands so she isn't the DnD version._

_Those that watch Discovery Channel might recognize the site in Japan that Kyros talks about. It's real. The rock on the floor of the ocean just off the coast looks to be artificially cut into angular formations. I try to include a good deal of real life fact in my stories._

_In response to some of my reviews saying that several characters seemed rather bland, I have taken the time to record each of the main characters current mindset and beliefs in several small paragraphs. I'm going to use this in order to gage how a character should act, talk, and what their motives are. Of course, I will not post these paragraphs because it would give away large parts of the story away. _

_Also Small Tip to other Authors: I use music in order to flush out ideas. If I should be writing a sad moment in a story I turn on some rather sad sounding music; if I'm writing a fight scene I'll use appropriately loud and face paced music. Usually this takes the form of video game music or electronica but there are definite exceptions. _

_When Kyros says hnyah, think Eric Cartmen. Me hnyah, you over hnyah!_

_The Sound Barrier at sea level is 761.2mph._

_GATITOS GIGANTES!!!_


	23. Ch22: Brothers

**Chapter Twenty Two: Brothers**

**

* * *

The Cherry Orchard

* * *

**

"You're Ranma, aren't you?" Rhys asked.

"Indeed," Ranma answered.

"How the hell did that happen?" Rhys asked, relaxing only a small bit.

"My master is a powerful sorcerer and seer," Ranma said, "Although it pains me to call him as such. He has combed through hundreds of thousands of prophecies over the years, trying to find something of relevance to his situation. Eventually, he found something."

"The prophecy spoke of a man who drank the blood of men, whom my master believes represented himself," Ranma continued, "It spoke of how if that man hunted down and, on a night darker than any other, devoured the lifeblood of an innocent descended from the man who damned him, he would gain phenomenal amounts of power. The similarities between himself and the prophecies made him adamantly sure of his own destiny."

"The prophecy also spoke of two families," Ranma slowly began to pace back and forth, staying about ten or so feet away from the two were-cheetahs, "One was obviously the family of the man who sealed him within the Realm of the Undead: the Tendo Family. The other was much harder to pin down. It merely spoke of a family with a fire in their hearts; a family that would be capable of stopping his plans. So, he looked for the other family, one that was close to the Tendos, known for their powerful warriors. He eventually came across the Saotome family. But rather than simply kill Genma and Nodoka outright, he decided on a more subtle approach: he waited until the moment of my birth before he stole my spirit from my body; the negative energy within the spell also nearly killing Nodoka."

Rhys thought for a moment.

"Okay," Rhys said, gesturing to Ranma and then to the area around them, "That explains that. Now explain what you're doing here."

"Simple," Ranma stopped pacing and turned to face them, his hands behind his back, "I wish for you to stop him."

Rhys quirked and eyebrow, looking somewhat confused. Ukyo looked the same. But before Rhys could respond, Ranma spoke again.

"My masters hold on me is not psychic in nature," He said, "He cannot control me physically or mentally. My service to him is because my physical health is dependent upon him."

Rhys nodded, "Doc said something about that, something about how a vampire's blood can control people."

Ranma nodded, "Should a vampire allow or force a mortal to drink its blood, said mortal becomes addicted to it. Within a week, or sometimes even sooner, the mortal starts to suffer withdrawal; something that saps their physical strength and willpower. Weak and easy to manipulate, it is easy for the vampire to force that mortal into its service. It is because of this that I am forced into his service."

"And you want us to take him out and free you," Rhys suggested, pounding his fist into an open palm.

"More so than that, I want to save the Tendo girl." Ranma said, shaking his head, "I have seen my master sacrifice people in this fashion before and it is not in any way pleasant. She will become a vampire spawn and have her soul destroyed in the process. She will become his willing slave. I know what servitude under him is like, and a girl like her does not deserve as such."

"You came all the way here just to tell us that?" Rhys asked, "Isn't he going to be pissed at you or something?"

"If he knew I was here, yes," Ranma answered, "And no, that is not the only reason I am here. I am also here to test you."

"Test me?" Rhys asked.

Ranma nodded, "My master knows of your plans; however, he is cocky and over confident. He does not see you as a real threat. But I see it differently."

"What do you mean?"

"My master has taught me the skills he believed a scout and an assassin should have," Ranma said, "As such, I am also a seer. I have studied the stars as well, and I see a different outcome. I have watched the Saotomes, and I disagree that they are the second family my master believes them to be."

"Take the current Saotomes of considerable power," Ranma continued, before motioning towards Rhys, "Not including you, as you are not truly of that family. You would be left with Genma and me. I myself am not capable of defeating my master and I do not believe I would be capable of such even if I had been born and raised normally. Genma, as you yourself know, would never even think of trying to do something such as that. He is too cowardly and weak of spirit to do so."

Rhys scoffed, "You got that right. Okay, so if this other family isn't the Saotomes, then who is it?"

"I believe it to be your family," Ranma said, "Your family has no previous ties to the Tendos, but as of recent, you have become very closely tied to them. Fate is indifferent to the passage of time and you yourself have definitely shown yourself to have a fire within you."

"Of course," Ranma continued, again beginning to pace back and forth, "Both my masters' translation of the prophecy and my own are equally as possible. And as such, I want to know which of us hold the most power."

"Hmph," Rhys said, crossing his arms, "Whoever's stronger is the one that can bring 'em down, huh? Okay then, how do you want to do this? A sparring match?"

Ranma nodded, "In a way. Although I am not a skilled martial artists such as you, you are not a skilled spell caster and assassin as I am. Added to that the abilities you gain as a werecheetah and the ones I gain as a Rakshasa, a traditional sparring match will not do. This must be a trial by combat; one than the both of us must perform at the peak of our abilities with no quarter being given and no punch being pulled."

As he said this, he reach back onto the small of his back and drew a short sword. It was meticulously clean and shined in the daylight. Ranma held it in a tight grip and backwards, so that the blade pointed behind him.

Both Rhys and Ukyo glanced at it. Thankfully, it did not gleam blue so it was not made of silver.

"Alright," Rhys nodded.

"Rhys," Ukyo said from behind him, grabbing his arm and looking back and forth between him and the sword, "Are you sure about this?"

"Heh, no," Rhys said bluntly, "But it ain't like we got a choice."

"Indeed," Ranma said.

Ukyo glanced at Ranma for a moment before looking back at Rhys.

"Just…" Ukyo said, "Be careful."

"Don't worry," Rhys said, turning to her, "It's not like were gonna be trying to kill each other…."

"I would advise against that train of thought," Ranma stated, raising the blade. Rhys turned to him, "Although neither of us wish each other's death, when and if we come into conflict within the Realm of the Undead, it will be a life or death situation. I would warrant against going into this match thinking any differently."

Ukyo looked down.

"I… I don't like this…," She said.

"Me either," Rhys said back to her, "Ain't like we gotta choice."

He turned to Ukyo and put a hand on her shoulder. As he did this, she looked up at him, after which he simply smiled as reassuringly as he could.

"Don't worry about it," He said, "I'll be fine, okay?"

Ukyo sighed and nodded slightly. Rhys then turned back to face Ranma, talking a few steps towards him. Ranma stopped pacing and turned to face him as well.

"Know that when we fight within the Realm of the Undead, the odds will be against you," Ranma said, "And that the amount of energy I will have will be substantially greater. You will also have to deal with fighting with a spell caster capable of mimicking your werecheetah abilities."

"Mimic?" Rhys asked, "Mimic how?"

"Rakshasa are shape shifters," Ranma told him, "that feed upon the ether; the magical energy; of others. We are capable of mimicking the natural abilities of the species we're imitating."

Ranma then shined for a split second until, in a transformation not unlike Rhys' own, changed into a werecheetah.

Ranma appeared to almost be a mirror image of Rhys; different only in a few key way. His face still was his own; his eyes a deep glowing blue. His fur, although golden in color, was definitely darker than Rhys'; his spots also took on a reddish hue. His midnight black outfit shifted to fit his much taller and much more muscular form.

Both Rhys and Ukyo were taken back by his sudden change.

"Currently," Ranma said, "I have enough ether to remain in this form for approximately five minutes while still being able to cast spells regularly. And when one can move as fast as werecheetahs can, a five minute fight can be quite a long time. When we fight within my master's fortress, however, I will no doubt have several times the amount of ether I have currently."

Rhys processed that information for a moment. He would have to make sure to try and advance his own abilities as much as possible within the time they still had.

After a small moment, Rhys nodded and sank into a ready position.

"Alright," He said, "Whenever you're ready, I guess."

"Good," Ranma said, "I only have a few more minutes worth of time before my master notices my absence. Let us begin."

**

* * *

Inside the Manor

* * *

**

"What is it?" Tofu asked, looking between Nodoka and Kyros.

"N-nothing," Kyros said, "A sudden burst of energy, that is all. More than likely our enemies scrying on us."

Nodoka hesitated for a moment before she nodded. Kyros glanced at her, a blank, emotionless expression on his face. He then stared down into his tea for a moment.

"Anyway," He said after a while, "Where were we? Oh, yes, my capabilities. As I said earlier I like to keep 'em secret for various reasons."

"…" Tofu didn't speak for a moment, looking back and forth between the two of them, "Yes… you spoke of that earlier. Something about it amusing you."

"Yeah," Kyros nodded, a smirk coming to his face, "But that isn't the whole reason. It's mostly due to past experiences. Back on my home planet Ryft people would… overreact. If they knew what I was capable off it tends to cause some rather nasty problems: that could be anything from riots to a full out man hunt to try and kill me. And then there were those who would…."

Kyros shook his head, his face going emotionless again.

"Well… that's not important," Kyros deadpanned, "It is that my capabilities are very, very similar to a creature of legend back on Ryft. A man known as Orion who held the entire world in a state of panic for two decades. You can imagine the 'warm welcomes' I would receive if I went around telling people everything."

"Other than that…" Kyros continued, a small bit of emotion returning to his voice, "I do it for the same reason you hide your capabilities from others. I'm fairly certain that Rhys knows of only a select few of your abilities."

Tofu nodded, taking a small sip of his tea.

"Tell me," he said, "Tomorrow we will be meeting this comrade of yours… Rayman, I believe it was?"

"Yeah, he's an extraterrestrial, like me. He isn't a beastmen though," Kyros said, slightly scoffing as he said the word Beastmen.

"Is there something wrong?" Tofu asked.

"Oh, no, no," Kyros said, "It's just that beastmen is kinda a derogatory term back on Ryft. If you call one of us a beastmen and you weren't one yourself, it could be taken as insulting. It's much more acceptable to call us by our clan name, which is based on species. Right now I'm what would be called a Namir, or a feline beastmen. Rayman is an Ani; which look damn near identical to a human except they're a little bit taller and can sport short, half-inch long horns near their temples and hairlines."

"And he'll be coming with a submarine of some sort?" Tofu asked.

"A mini-sub," Kyros nodded, "A machine of his own design. This one'll seat everyone with a good bit of room to spare for equipment."

**

* * *

The Orchard

* * *

**

Rhys and Ranma stood a few yards apart from each other, taking a small pause from the fighting. Rhys quickly went over everything in his head.

Although Ranma was as fast as a werecheetah, Rhys was still faster. This was either due to the fact that Rhys was a natural werecheetah or because he had more practice at that speed. It was like fighting Mr. Kounji, only a little bit faster.

It was obvious that Rhys far outmatched Ranma in terms of martial arts, but it was also obvious that Ranma was just as good with that blade as Rhys was unarmed. Already Rhys had taken a few slight cuts and puncture wounds, but the blade was normal steel and nonmagical so the wounds closed quickly. Still, if they weren't healing, Rhys would be quite bloodied at this point. Ranma, however, didn't seem to be able to take as much damage as Rhys could. Rhys' strikes left a much longer lasting effect on Ranma than Ranma's blade on Rhys. Rhys' clothes had several dozen rips and tears in it whereas Ranma has a bloody lip and was sluggish with his left arm due to a powerful kick to his shoulder.

Rhys was also far more mobile. Although Ranma could run and dodge as fast as Rhys, he didn't have Rhys' sharp reflexes and jumping capabilities. At several points the fight became Rhys moving all around Ranma striking from different directions with Ranma staying relatively stationary, blocking and deflecting blows with his sword. After a few moments of that, Ranma would pretty much disappear only to reappear a few yards away on the offensive again. Rhys chalked this up to Ranma's assassin abilities; thinking that it could be some form of invisibility ninja-esque technique.

It had been about two minutes now and neither of them had broken into their non-martial skills. The fight had taken them far from the house back towards the natural woods behind the orchard. Several of the cherry trees had taken damage, either from the blade or Rhys jumping off of them and using their branches as spring boards. There were several pits and gouges in the grass, forming a trail from where they first started to where they are now. Ukyo stood about ten yards away from the fight but moved with them whenever they relocated.

"You're pretty good, I guess," Rhys said, "I'm faster though and that sword isn't doin' much."

"I thought that it would be a bad idea to use silver," Ranma responded, lifting the blade up in front of him, letting as small bit of blood drip from the tip, "I did not want to leave any lasting damage. When we fight in the Realm of the Undead, the blade I'll be using will assuredly be both silver and magical."

Rhys stretched his limbs and hopped about for a bit, loosening himself up.

"Think that's enough warmup?" He asked after a while, sinking back into a ready stance.

Ranma smirked, bringing his hand forward. Energy began to gather around his wrist, forming symbols in the air.

"Dark Bolt!" Ranma shouted.

**

* * *

The Manor

* * *

**

"It'll probably take a good thirty minutes or so to make it to the ruin site after we get into the mini-sub," Kyros said, "At which time we'll use the onboard scanners along with some of my abilities to scan the area and find the entrance. Then, more than likely, it'll be up to me to open said entrance."

"How so?" Tofu asked.

"It's because of the type of ruins they are," Kyros said, "It's a ruin that was created long, _long_ ago by a race known as the Architects."

"Architects…" Tofu said, "Do you mean the Artificer Nomads?"

"No, but they're similar," Kyros said, "The Architects were supposedly the first intelligent race to ever exist in this universe, created soon after the big band to shape what was then a boiling sea of energy and All-Matter into the stars and planets that make up the universe today. More often that not, planets and even stars will show signs of their activity throughout the universe."

"Hmm…" Tofu thought for a moment, "I have never heard of them, even in the archives on Jade."

"Nah, you wouldn't find anything on Jade about them," Kyros said, waving that idea off, "They came and went long before Jade was even created. The Architects never traveled the planes, staying within the normal universe for the entirety of their existence. And the reason why no one knows of them on Earth is because of the Earth itself."

"What do you mean 'by the Earth itself'?" Nodoka asked, only now managing sitting down from the apparent shock both she and Kyros had earlier.

"Well," Kyros took a sip of his tea before he began, "Anyone who's been through highschool geology classes knows about the tectonic plates and how the continents move around. Earthquakes and volcanoes and all that jazz. The ruins that the Architects built are not thousands or millions of years old, but _billions_ of years old; created back when Earth couldn't even support the simplest of life forms."

"And, over the four billion years that the ruins have been on Earth," Kyros continued, "The Earth continued to churn and move and reconfigure itself. This constant action, without the Architects to upkeep the ruins, eventually ground any evidence of the ruins down into unrecognizable pieces scattered all willy nilly across the planet. That there is even enough left of a ruin to be able to enter it is a crazy shot in the dark chance."

"If the ruins are so old," Tofu asked, "How is it that you know of them? Are they're ruins on Ryft?"

"Countless ruin sites," Kyros said, waving his arms about in emphasis, "Thousands upon thousands of them. Why? Because Ryft isn't tectonically active like earth is. The shape that it's in today is the same shape that it's always been in; thus, the ruins weren't ground into dust by the very planet that they sit on. Architect ruins are where you'll find your All-Matter and your T.E. Tech. That's why T.E. Tech is so common on Ryft but almost unheard of in a universal sense."

"I see," Tofu said, nodding.

Nodoka looked like she confused.

"Is this Astrological Gate you spoke of a creation of the Architects?" She asked.

Kyros nodded.

"You said that the Architects never left this plane of existence," She questioned, "Will it be able to reach the Realm of the Undead."

"Heh, don't worry," Kyros said, "Just because they never left doesn't mean they didn't know about them. There are countless pocket dimensions throughout the universe, what we on Ryft call Innersides. Say the universe is 5 yen coin; it has two sides. An innerside would be a third side somewhere in between its two visible sides. Traveling to a different plane is like traveling to a place between one point and that same point. The glyph formula is more complicated, but it is definitely possible. That's why we're not waiting an hour longer than needed before we go to the ruins. Once we get the glyphs, I'll have to work out the proper formula to take us there."

"And how long will that take?" Tofu asked.

"Dunno," Kyros said, "A few days at the most. That'll give us plenty of time to prepare for…"

Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the house. Tofu, who had just taken a sip of his tea jerked in surprise, his cup leaving his hand. Nodoka eeped, losing her own cup as well.

As the rumble ended, the chandelier swung back and forth. Tofu and Nodoka sat there stunned for a moment. After recovering they looked around.

Kyros, however, had reacted to the sound almost instantly. He now stood partially on top of the table. His own cup of tea was balanced on the end of his tail, Tofu's on the back of two of the fingers on his left hand, and Nodoka's on the tip of his right index finger.

"Take your cups," He said, quickly, "Take me. Quick. Quick! Take 'em take 'em take 'em! This isn't easy, take your damn cups!"

That snapped the two of them out of their shock, they grabbed their tea cups (Tofu noticed that not a single drop had spilled). Kyros then reached back towards his own cup, carefully moving his tail towards his hand.

At the last second the cup slipped off his tail and spilled on the floor.

"Damn it! He shouted.

Tofu and Nodoka simply put their cups down and, in unison, voiced their thoughts.

"What was that?"

**

* * *

The Orchard

* * *

**

"Air Shield!" Rhys shouted.

In front of him, a huge purple bolt of boiling energy slammed into his shield spell. There was a huge boom as the two energies fought against each other. Rhys strained to keep standing as the energy threatened to blow him back off of his feet.

Suddenly, a large crack formed in his shield. His eyes went wide.

There was a huge explosion as both spells shattered, mixed, and then; quite violently; dispersed. Ranma had managed to stay on his feet, but had been moved back a good few yards, leaving two groves in the ground where his feet had dragged. Ukyo was bowled over, jostling her arm on the ground.

Since the last little conversation that Rhys and Ranma had, Ranma had switched to slinging spells at him left and right. Rhys had to use every bit of his speed to avoid not only the bolts of energy that flew at him, but the vines that suddenly sprung from the ground that liked to grab at his feet, the sudden huge slabs of earth with razor sharp edges that ripped out of the ground, and the swarms of dark balls of energy that flew at him from every direction at once. There was a point where he didn't touch the ground for almost a minute, having to jump from tree to tree to get away from the wayward magic.

"Rhys!" Ukyo shouted, standing up as quickly as her injuries would allow. She ran over to where the smoke was beginning to disperse.

Once to the edge of the smoke and, as she then notices, a sizable crater, she coughed on the smoke and looked around. The smoke smelled of brimstone and burnt wood. It stung her eyes as she tryied to look through it.

"Rhys!" She shouted again. No response, "Rhys!"

After that, she got a response. At first, it was just a long series of coughs coming from her right.

"Aw, hell," Rhys said, moving out of the smoke, "Oh, that hurt."

He moved his shoulder around and messaged it as he walked towards Ukyo.

"Rhys!" She shouted as she ran towards him (using werecheetah speed she was there within a second, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Rhys smirked, although a small gash could be seen over his left eye, "I managed to jump out of the blast right before the shield spell broke."

Ukyo sighed in relief.

"Don't do that," She said, putting her hand on his arm, "I thought… I thought…."

"Sorry, sorry," Rhys said, taking her hand.

A voice came from behind them.

"Good," Ranma's voice came, "You were mostly unharmed."

"Yep," Rhys said, turning to him, "Although you're pretty good at slinging those spells around. Gonna have to work on that."

"Yes you are," Ranma said sternly, "Although you had me bested at simple martial skill, with a few spells I had you ducking and diving, unable to even get near me. When we fight next, I will be using my spells from the start."

Rhys simply grunted, his eyes close with a stern look as he continued to move his shoulder.

At that point, they heard a voice come from towards the house.

"Rhys!" Nodoka's voice came. They all looked in that direction to see Tofu coming towards them quickly, followed by Nodoka and Kyros a small ways behind him.

"I must leave now," Ranma said, "Prepare yourself and don't get killed before we meet next."

"Don't worry," Rhys smirked, "I'll make sure to kick your ass and save the day."

Ranma simply hmphed before he vanished from view.

It took a few moments for the others to make it all the way to them.

"Rhys!" Nodoka said as she ran up to him, "Are you alright? What was that?"

"I'm fine," He said.

"No you're not, your bleeding," Nodoka said, reaching up towards the gash over Rhys' eye.

"I'm fine, really!" Rhys said, moving his head away slightly.

"What was that explosion?" Tofu asked, looking very serious, "You've been fighting… against a spell caster. Who were you fighting?"

Ukyo glanced at Rhys. Rhys had to think about it for a moment; what he would and wouldn't say.

"It was the guy who took Kasumi," Rhys said, purposely not saying Ranma's name and trying not to even think his name lest Nodoka hear his thoughts.

Rhys glanced at Nodoka. Her expression was unreadable, but she definitely looked… bothered. Rhys shook his head slightly, knowing that she had heard something that he hadn't wanted her to.

"What did he want?"

"I…" Rhys said, his thoughts a purposeful jumble to try and confuse Nodoka. Sadly, that made it hard to think of what to say, "He came to test me. He wanted to know how strong I was."

"_Please, Nodoka," _he thought, _"Stop listening. Please."_

Nodoka looked down. Tofu didn't notice her reaction, but Kyros did. He stood there, expressionless, looking at her.

"And?" Tofu asked, a harsh tone to his voice.

"Uh…" Rhys said, he then sighed, "I dunno, look around. I had him until he started using magic and then it was all I could do to try and stay away from all the shit he threw at me. And then _that_ happened."

He motioned towards the crater and the clearing smoke.

"Did you learn anything else?" Tofu asked quickly.

"Yeah," Rhys said, looking at him, "Things are a little bit more complicated than we thought."

_**

* * *

Ether**__: Ether comes from Gold Digger. It is the energy that is used when one is casting spells and is an energy that all life forms produce naturally; although the amount a person has naturally can vary widely from person to person. This is why some people are naturally gifted spell casters; they simply have more energy than others do._

_Rakshasa's feed off of peoples ether, though the amount that they siphon away is not in any way dangerous or detrimental to the persons health. The person does, however, need to remain perfectly still else the feeding process be disturbed. This is the reason why Rakshasa's tend to be very… sexually active. Wear someone out in bed, wait till they fall asleep, and then feast. This makes sure the Rakshasa gets an uninterrupted meal. Using their shape shifting abilities drains this pool of either, as does any other action that normally consumes ether. Their telepathic abilities, as far as I know, do not consume ether._

_Also, although living creatures naturally produce ether, undead do not. This raises the point that undead should, effectively, be very weak spell casters as any ether they use will never be regained. Most undead, however, feed upon the living and can, therefore, feed upon a living persons ether. More than likely that person is gonna die anyway so why not just siphon off their ether beforehand._

_This also brings into question the number of living beings that an undead sorcerer must 'consume' in order to remain a viable spell caster._

_**Architects vs Artificer Nomads**__: The Artificer Nomads come from the GD Universe. They were a group of powerful artificers that roamed then planes creating the greatest wonders of the many worlds. Jade itself was created in the time-before-time by the artificer nomads. They also created other things such as super intelligent biological weapons and a super-powerful vessel known as the time-raft, capable of traveling great distances in space and time._

_The Architects, however, are of my own creation, from the same universe as Kyros and Rayman. They are strikingly similar to the Artificer Nomads in that they created untold wonders in the time-before-time, except they're a little less planar oriented (meaning they traveled and worked in the different planes of existence) and were more universally oriented (meaning they traveled throughout the normal universe creating everything from stars to planets to moons to… well… they pretty much constructed the universe as it is today from the chaotic energy that made up the universe after the big bang). They viewed the planets and stars as unique masterpieces of art and often riddled said planets with ruins._

_Also, on a side note for those who are wondering about my own unique additions to the plot (Architects and whatnot), __**please do not steal them**__. They are a creation that has taken me over 15 years to create and construct. I plan to one-day use them in my own piece of fiction, be that a comic or a cartoon series or whatever._

_Anyway, they only take president in this one part of the story. Once they get past the ruins, they'll retake a back-burner roll to the Ranma and the Gold Digger universes._

_**Notes on the Time/Space Continuum within the GD Universe:**__ I don't think time in Jade and time on Earth flow differently. In the beginning of Gold Diggers Julia Diggers; Gina's mother and Brittany's adopted mother; has been sealed away from Earth; she also is totally invisible and inaudiable to any of her family under normal conditions should they both be in Jade at the moments. Theodore Diggers, however, was capable of changing Julia's curse so that for one day out of the entire year Julia can come to Earth to see her family. They are capable of keeping track of that date rather simply and it is never said that Jade and Earth vary when time comes into play._

_Other realms of existence, however, DO vary when time comes into play. At one point, Brittany becomes trapped within a quasi-dimensional realm where for every one day passes on earth, one year passes in the realm Brittany is in. Whereas for the rest of the family Brittany is trapped for only a few days, Brittany goes through years of waiting. Perhaps this is what is confusing some of the readers. _

_If there were any other notes that I haven't discussed… then I forgot about them._


End file.
